Indian batsman Veda Krishnamurthy feels that the BCCI’s decision to choose Gautam Gambhir as the next head coach of the Indian men’s team is correct. Recently, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah officially announced that Gautam Gambhir will be the next head coach of India after Rahul Dravid.
Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India’s head coach will begin with the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, where India will play 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is. It is believed that Gambhir will also have full freedom to choose his coaching staff.
Dravid’s tenure ended with the completion of the 2024 T20 World Cup, where India claimed the title by defeating South Africa in the final. Dravid had earlier announced that this would be his last assignment with Team India and he did not wish to continue in the role.
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Veda Krishnamurthy backs BCCI’s decision to appoint Gautam Gambhir as India’s head coach
While speaking on Sports 18, Veda Krishnamurthy was asked about the decision to appoint Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach. She felt that Gambhir knows how to lead a team to victory as he has been a part of the champion team before.
“You can understand why they chose him. He was aggressive and competitive as a cricketer. He had the passion to win every match. We have seen that for many years in the IPL. His team was champion twice when he was the captain. So he knows how to lead a team to victory. I am sure he will come with the same drive as a coach,” Krishnamurthy replied.
Gautam Gambhir was part of the Indian team that won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. He played a pivotal role in India’s victories in both tournaments by being India’s top scorer in both finals.
Gautam Gambhir’s job will not be easy – Veda Krishnamurthy
Krishnamurthy further mentioned that the road will not be easy for Gambhir as there will be numerous ICC tournaments in the coming years and India is expected to perform well in all of them.
“We have exciting days ahead, there are a lot of important tournaments, so there will be immediate obstacles and we know that the job is not easy. Everything is good when you win, but when you lose, you get pointed at. He is the best person to deal with that as well, because he will sit in front of the media and tell them to ask whatever they want,” he added.
Apart from winning two ICC tournaments, Gautam Gambhir also has a proven track record in the IPL. He led Kolkata Knight Riders to title wins in 2012 and 2014. In 2024, he joined KKR again, but this time as a mentor, and helped the team win its third IPL trophy.
Gautam Gambhir has played 242 matches for India across all formats. He was known as one of the best openers during his prime. In 2009, he became the number one Test batsman in the ICC Test rankings.
