Gautam Gambhir paid an emotional tribute to the fans of the Kolkata Knight Riders as he bade them adieu, moving out of his position as the mentor of KKR to take up the much more prestigious responsibility of head coach of India. Gambhir, the erstwhile KKR captain and mentor, has been an integral part of this side that won the IPL in 2012 and 2014 under his leadership and most recently in 2024 as a mentor.
Gambhir had to leave the franchise after being appointed head coach of India on July 9, 2024, succeeding Rahul Dravid. The bond between Gambhir and Kolkata, its cricket-crazy crowd, is pretty deep. He shared ‘an emotional video message’ on his Instagram handle, stating his close attachment to the city and its fans.
“I smile when you smile. I cry when you cry. I win when you win. I lose when you lose. I dream when you dream. I achieve when you achieve. I believe with you and I become with you. I am you, Kolkata, I’m just one of you.”. I know your struggles, and I know where it hurts. The rejections crushed me, but like you, I wake up embracing hope. I get beaten every day, but like you, I’m yet to be defeated,” Gautam Gambhir said.
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“They tell me to be popular, I tell them to be a winner. I am you, Kolkata, I’m just one of you. This Kolkata air talks to me. The sounds, the streets here, the traffic jams. They all convey how you feel. I hear what you say, but I know what you mean. I know you’re emotional. So am I. I know you’re demanding. So am I. Kolkata, we are a bond. We are a story. We are a team,” he added.
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Gautam Gambhir’s message wasn’t a goodbye, it simply was of a new beginning. He wanted the continued support of KKR fans as he begun his new journey as the head coach of India. “And now the time has come when we have to create some legacies together. The time has come when we have to write some bigger and bolder scripts.”.
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“The script not with purple ink but in that blue, the treasured India blue. As we both take our fresh card, we promise each other that we will never walk alone. It would always be shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand. It all will be for the tricolour. It all would all be about our India,” the former finally concluded”.
The immediate focus of the 42-year-old, however will be the upcoming tour to Sri Lanka, starting from July 27, for three T20Is and three ODIs. Though Board of Control for Cricket in India announced the new head coach, they have not yet finalized the other coaching staff who would be working under the former opener. The board is likely to announce the squad and rest of the support staff soon.
