Reason behind Hardik Pandya's sacking to be revealed as Gautam Gambhir set to attend press conference on...

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently named Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team. He is all set to attend a press conference before the Indian cricket team's departure for their upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka.

Gautam Gambhir will succeed Rahul Dravid as head coach of the Indian cricket team. Dravid concluded his term after guiding India to victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA. India also reached the finals of the ODI World Cup 2023 and the World Test Championship (WTC) under Dravid.

Indian Team Expected To Leave For Sri Lanka On July 22 - Report

The Indian cricket team will depart for Sri Lanka from Mumbai on July 22. On the same day, Gautam Gambhir will address the media at the pre-departure press conference. The upcoming tour will be Gambhir’s first assignment in his new role with the national cricket team.

"The team is expected to leave for Sri Lanka on July 22 from Mumbai and the pre-departure press conference will likely be held on the same day," a report by the Times of India said.

Gautam Gambhir played a crucial role in India's wins in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. The former left-handed batter was India’s top scorer in the finals of these tournaments. The southpaw also excelled in Test cricket, amassing 4,154 runs at a decent average of 41.95 across 58 matches.

The 42-year-old didn't have prior coaching experience as a head coach in international cricket or franchise cricket. However, Gambhir helped the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) win their third IPL title in 2024 as a mentor. He also guided the Kolkata-based franchise to two titles as captain in the 2012 and 2014 seasons.

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli To Be Part of India's ODI Team

India will tour Sri Lanka from July 27 to August 7 for a white-ball series, including three ODIs and three T20Is. The selection committee named Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I captain and Rohit Sharma for the ODIs. Rohit and Gambhir preferred Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I captain ahead of Hardik Pandya.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from T20Is after the recent T20 World Cup, were initially expected to miss the ODIs in the Sri Lanka tour. However, both were later included in the squad. The BCCI persuaded them to participate, given the limited ODIs scheduled before the ICC Champions Trophy in early 2025.

The Indian cricket team last visited Sri Lanka for a bilateral white-ball series in July 2021. The Men in Blue, under the captaincy of veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan, won the ODI series 2-1, but Sri Lanka secured the T20I series with the same margin. The Indian team also secured the Asia Cup 2023 in Sri Lanka last year.

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