Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir is all set for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Team India recently won the T20 World Cup 2024 by beating South Africa. And, a lot of tournaments are coming up and they can win as well. Speaking to the media ahead of leaving for Sri Lanka, Gambhir made his stance as a coach clear, saying the “betterment of Indian cricket is important, Gautam Gambhir is not important”.
“I have always said that a happy dressing room is a winning dressing room. That’s my responsibility. For me, I don’t complicate too many things. I am taking over a very, very successful team. T20 World champions, runner-up in World Test Championship and the 50-over World Cup. There are issues to fill, but this is a champions’ team,” Gambhir said. “I have had a fabulous relationship with Jay Shah. All these speculations about different things. We can do a better job clarifying those things. Gautam Gambhir is not important, the betterment of Indian cricket is important. I have really enjoyed working with him, I hope it continues that way.”
Gautam Gambhir also said that he has big shoes to fill as the previous coaches were Rahul Dravid and Ravi Shastri and they both tasted success as well.
“The most important thing is that they will always have my back. Aim to make it a happy and secure dressing room. I am taking over a very successful team. Runner-ups in WTC and 50-overs WC. I have big shoes to fill and looking forward to it,” Gambhir said in the press conference.
Meanwhile, Gambhir will have the support of his old mates from KKR, Abhishek Nayar who will take on the role of assistant coach of the team and Ryan Ten Doeschate who also joins the support staff as well. Also, Gambhir will have to work with a dressing room full of star players when the ODI’s get underway with Team India captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli joining the team.
” I have worked closely with Abhishek and Ryan in the last two months at IPL with KKR. Both are absolute professionals and hopefully have a successful stint with the Indian team as coaches. I shared a great relationship with Virat Kohli, we exchange messages – he is World class, world-class batter, I have told you many times, that we both will work hard for team India & make 140 crore people proud. Both Virat & Rohit have lots of cricket left, they are World class, any team would have both of them – there is the Champions Trophy, Australia series, then if fitness goes well then the 2027 World Cup,” Gautam Gambhir concluded.
