Conversations about Gautam Gambhir’s appointment as team India’s head coach have been frequent since his appointment. Intriguingly, Sony Sports Network, the official broadcaster of the series between Sri Lanka and India, was using the hashtag #MamlaGambhirHai to promote the series, which was his first as head coach. This got the media excited.
In the meantime, former cricket player turned pundit Sanjay Manjrekar has advised spectators to relax and emphasised that the team, not any one person, is what matters. Not a single coach in Indian cricket history has been as touted as the 59-year-old, who urged the supporters to quit elevating the coach.
“Dravid, Kirsten, Lalchand Rajput, and Coach are not present.” in 1983, 2007, 2011, & 2023 (sic. 2024) as coaches when India won world cups. Not the coach’s identity, but Indian cricket is the primary focus. It’s time for us to give up believing that there is a direct relationship, Manjrekar wrote on X (previously Twitter).
No coach, Lalchand Rajput, Gary Kirsten & Dravid. Coaches when India won WCs in 1983, 2007, 2011 & 2023.
It’s really about Indian cricket, not who the coach is. Time we stop thinking there is a direct correlation.— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) July 27, 2024
Notably, before Gambhir made his coaching debut in Pallekele on July 27, former India coach Rahul Dravid wrote him a special message. The 51-year-old praised him for taking on his new responsibility and said that his tenacity and refusal to let up will help India succeed.
“Hi, Gautam, and welcome to the most thrilling job in the world—that of being the Indian cricket team’s coach.
I left the Indian team three weeks ago in a way that beyond my expectations, first in Barbados and then a few days later on that night that will never be forgotten in Mumbai. I will always value the connections and memories I formed when I was a member of the squad above anything else. It’s what I hope for you too, Dravid said in a video that the BCCI has issued as you assume the post of India coach.
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Additionally, I’m hoping that every squad has players who are available and fully healthy. Wishing you luck on that. As you are aware, we instructors strive to appear slightly more knowledgeable and astute than we actually are. With that in mind, I also wish you luck. I watched you on the pitch giving it your all as your teammate. As a teammate and fellow fielder, I witnessed your tenacity and defiance of giving up,” he continued.
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