Gautam Gambhir’s stint as Team India’s head coach will begin on Saturday (July 27) when the Men in Blue take on Sri Lanka in the first game of the three-match T20I series at Pallekele.
Earlier this month, the former India opener replaced Rahul Dravid as the team’s head coach. The job in India is Gautam Gambhir’s first as a head coach. He has no prior experience as a head coach at any level. However, he has made a huge impact as a mentor in the Indian Premier League while playing for Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders.
He was in charge of LSG for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. In both seasons, the Lucknow-based side qualified for the playoffs. Incidentally, they failed to advance past the league stage this year when Gambhir was serving as KKR’s mentor. In his first season as KKR’s mentor, Gambhir guided the Kolkata-based side to their third IPL title and first since 2014.
Gambhir is hoping to have a similarly successful stint with Team India. And as he prepares for his first match as a coach, former India cricketer and selector Sandeep Patil has said that the primary job of the new head coach is not to coach the Indian team. Patil said that Gambhir will have to focus more on man management than coaching the players.
“I don’t think his job is to coach the Indian team. His job is to help the Indian team,” Patil told PTI.
“That’s how it works at the top level. You need player management. That will be the challenge for Gambhir. He has done that and I am sure he will continue to do the same with the Indian cricket team. Gambhir has done an exceptional job as the coach of Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. I hope he continues to help the Indian team in the same manner,” he said.
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There will be no Indian team without Rohit and Kohli: Sandeep Patil
Sandeep Patil further said that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remain integral members of the Indian team. The veteran batsmen retired from T20Is last month but will continue to play ODI and Test cricket. Patil said that there is no chance of an Indian team without Kohli and Rohit even now. He concluded by saying that Suryakumar Yadav deserved the T20I captaincy.
“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are still doing very well and you cannot imagine an Indian team without them. I wish the Indian team all the best, wherever they play and whatever tournament they participate in, I am sure they will do extremely well,” he said.
“Surya is from Mumbai and is a great friend of mine. He has been given the captaincy and he deserved it. I wish him all the best,” he said about India’s new T20I captain.