Gautam Gambhir's old enemy Shahid Afridi breaks silence on Gambhir's appointment as India Head Coach

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has given his first reaction on India's new head coach Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir was recently appointed India's head coach after Rahul Dravid didn't show interest in extending his tenure.

Gambhir's appointment was announced by BCCI secretary Jay Shah officially on Tuesday (July 9), where he said that cricket is changing rapidly and Gambhir has witnessed the change through close quarters. At 42, Gautam Gambhir is India's youngest coach. He will now have a chance to work with the future talents of Indian cricket.

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Shahid Afridi reacts to Gautam Gambhir's appointment as India's new head coach

Shahid Afridi is currently playing in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) in Birmingham, England. During the tournament, he was asked about Gautam Gambhir's appointment as India's next head coach.

Afridi answered that it will be a big opportunity for the Indian legend and it depends how he uses the opportunity. The former Pakistan allrounder also added that Gambhir is positive and straightforward, which is a good sign.

"It's a new opportunity and a big one. It depends how he avails such an opportunity. Sometimes, I get to listen his interviews. He talks positively and is straightforward," Afridi replied.

Dale Steyn, Kallis and Shahid Afridi talking about Gautam Gambhir. 🌟pic.twitter.com/RM76dBysFC

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 11, 2024

Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi were involved in heated exchanges before

Both Shahid Afridi and Gautam Gambhir have been bitter rivals on and off the cricket field. In 2007 during an ODI match between India and Pakistan, the duo was involved in a heated exchange of words after a boundary in the 20th over. In the second ball of the over, Gambhir was running and Afridi came in the way, leading to a clash between the two legends.

The duo shared some heated words between them before the on-field umpires had to cool them down. Since then, both have been bitter rivals for each other.

Both have been involved in a war of words even off the field. "Shahid Afridi may be 36, 37 years old. But he is 16 mentally,” Gambhir had told India Today some years ago during a roadshow in Delhi.

Both the players faced off against each other recently in 2023 in a match of Legends League Cricket (LLC), where Gautam Gambhir was leading India Maharajas while Shahid Afridi was the captain of Asia Lions. During the match, when Gambhir was hit while batting, Afridi came to check if he was okay. The moment had gone viral on social media.

Gautam Gambhir's tenure as India's head coach will begin with India's white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in July 2024. The senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah are likely to be rested for the series, which means Gambhir will have his task cut out with a young Indian side.

Gambhir's tenure will run till December 2027, during which India will be competing in three ICC tournaments of white-ball cricket and two possible WTC finals in 2025 and 2027 if they qualify.