Coach of the Indian team, according to Gautam Gambhir, would be an enormous honour. As per multiple sources, Gambhir is dominating the competition to be the next head coach of India when Rahul Dravid steps down after the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The popular franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, won their third title in ten years under the guidance of the former India cricketer, who was well praised for turning around the team’s fortunes in the just concluded Indian Premier League (IPL). His appointment as the Men in Blue’s next head coach has garnered a lot of support from supporters. The 42-year-old, though, kept quiet about the situation for a while.
In a recent conversation with young sports fans at Medeor Hospital in Abu Dhabi, one of the students asked Gautam Gambhir if he would like to coach India and how he would help the squad win the World Cup.
Coaching the Indian squad is something I would really love to do. Being a national team coach is the ultimate honour. How can representing India get any greater than that? You are speaking for 140 crore Indians and more people around the world. Over 140 crore Indians will contribute to India’s World Cup victory, not me. India will win the World Cup if everyone starts praying for us and we start representing them on the pitch. The most crucial element is to have no fear. remarked the captain, who has won the IPL twice.
#WATCH | Abu Dhabi, UAE: “…I would love to coach the Indian team. There is no bigger honour than coaching your national team. You are representing 140 crore Indians and more across the globe as well and when you represent India, how can it get bigger than that? It is not me… pic.twitter.com/vWHJSXLyY0
— ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2024
The stellar track record of Gautam Gambhir as a mentor
In 2022, Gambhir was appointed as the mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants during their inaugural IPL season. The Delhi native led them to the 2022 and 2023 playoffs before joining the Knight Riders in time for the 2024 Indian Premier League. With seven seasons as the team’s captain and two titles in 2012 and 2014 under his belt, Gambhir was no stranger to the KKR milieu.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: Rating top teams designated finishers based on form
In the previous two IPL seasons, KKR has placed eighth. Gambhir joined in, giving the team a winning mindset. Over the course of the league phase, Shreyas Iyer and company won nine games and lost just three. There was no outcome in two of the games. They emerged victorious in both the qualifying round and the championship match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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