Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha has shared his enthusiasm about Gautam Gambhir’s new role as head coach of the Indian national cricket team. Ojha believes that Gambhir has the potential to elevate the team, drawing comparisons to the success of former head coach Gary Kirsten.
Rahul Dravid stepped down as head coach after guiding the team to victory in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Gambhir has been appointed as the new head coach for the Indian team and will remain in this role until the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
The Indian team is set to embark on a tour of Sri Lanka, where they will play three T20Is and three ODIs starting July 27. Suryakumar Yadav will captain the T20I side following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format, though Suryakumar is not part of the ODI squad, which will be led by Sharma.
Expectation That Has Come Up Now – Pragyan Ojha
In a conversation with SportsNow, Pragyan Ojha said that there will be high expectations for Gautam Gambhir. Ojha stated that the situation is similar to the one after the 2011 World Cup when Gary Kirsten departed as head coach.
“I think the most important thing is the expectation that has come up now. It is quite similar to what we saw after 2011. Because everybody wanted Gary Kirsten to continue. But then, you know, things changed. We had a new coach. So, I think after the World Cup win, there will be similar expectation, there will be similar interest whenever India goes on to play this format,” said Pragyan.
Gautam Gambhir lacks prior experience as a head coach in international cricket or the Indian Premier League (IPL). He previously served as a mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for two seasons before rejoining the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for IPL 2024. Under his guidance, KKR secured victory in the latest IPL season.
Gautam Gambhir Was An Aggressive Player – Pragyan Ojha
Pragyan Ojha stated that Gautam Gambhir is expected to bring an aggressive approach as a coach. Ojha added that Gambhir’s style will suit the T20 format well. He noted that the presence of Gambhir could benefit the Indian cricket team.
“The most important thing I would say is Gautam Gambhir being very aggressive as a coach, the way he was as a player. I think it will be very interesting because T20 format now needs players to be a little aggressive. If you see Rohit also was talking about players changing their temperament and being more aggressive irrespective of the situation. So it would be very interesting because the captain and the coach are very aggressive, very street smart,” Pragyan added.
Pragyan Ojha featured in 24 T20Is, 18 ODIs, and 6 Tests during his international career, claiming 113 wickets in T20Is, 21 in ODIs, and 10 in Tests. In the IPL, he took 89 wickets across 92 matches, maintaining an economy rate of 7.37. His final appearance for India was in a Test match against the West Indies in November 2013.
