IND vs IRE: 'Gautam Gambhir is a No-Nonsense Guy...' - Former India Coach

Former India coach Lalchand Rajput backed Gautam Gambhir to replace Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the India men's cricket team. Lalchand Rajput pointed out Gautam Gambhir's recent success as a mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season.

Rahul Dravid's tenure as the head coach of the Indian team will conclude after the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) invited applications for the head coach role. Dravid has said that he will not join the Indian team for another term.

Several former Indian cricketers, including Sourav Ganguly and WV Raman, have supported Gautam Gambhir to take over as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team after the T20 World Cup. The Kolkata Knight Riders mentor has also expressed his desire to coach the Indian cricket team in the future.

Gautam Gambhir Is A No-Nonsense Guy - Lalchand Rajput

In an interaction with PTI, Lalchand Rajput lauded Gautam Gambhir for his strategies and game awareness, describing him as a "no-nonsense guy." Rajput said that Gambhir guided the KKR team to the title in the IPL 2024 season with his tactics.

"Gambhir is a no-nonsense guy, he has played cricket the hard way and he reads the game well and that has been seen for KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) as well. KKR was the same team last year and you see the difference that he made this year. He is a shrewd tactician as well," Rajput said.

Gautam Gambhir was appointed as a mentor of the IPL before the IPL 2024 season. The former Indian cricketer helped the team secure their third IPL crown. The Knight Riders finished at the top of the league stage. The Shreyas Iyer-led team defeated SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in playoff matches, including the final.

Gautam Gambhir Has Won Two World Cups As A Player - Lalchand Rajput

Lalchand Rajput expressed his confidence that Gautam Gambhir will add value to the team with his experience of winning two World Cups. The former cricketer said that Gambhir would be the right candidate to take Indian cricket forward, but added that the BCCI would take the final decision.

"I am sure with all his experience — he has won two World Cup (wins) as a player — that will really add value. He is a good candidate, but it all depends upon BCCI who they want. He will be the right candidate to take Indian cricket forward," Rajput added.

The deadline to apply for the head coach's position was May 27. However, there was no confirmation regarding the submission of applications for the head coach role. The next Indian head coach will be contracted until the end of 2027. The BCCI is keen to appoint a single coach for both red-ball and white-ball cricket.

Also read: West Indies Test squad for England announced; Kraigg Brathwaite to lead the side