Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as Team India head coach starts on July 27 with the T20I series opener against Sri Lanka in Pallekele. Gambhir, who recently succeeded Rahul Dravid, is stepping into his first head coach role. Despite lacking formal head coaching experience, he has significantly impacted as a mentor in the IPL with Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders.
During his time with Lucknow Super Giants in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the team made it to the playoffs. However, the Kolkata Knight Riders, where Gambhir was a mentor in 2023, did not advance past the league stage. Notably, in his first season as KKR’s mentor, Gambhir led the team to their third IPL title, their first since 2014.
As Gambhir embarks on his coaching journey with the Indian team, former India cricketer and selector Sandeep Patil has noted that his role will emphasize man-management over traditional coaching. Patil highlighted that Gambhir’s primary focus should be on managing players rather than coaching them.
“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 it and I am sure he will continue to do the same with the Indian cricket team. Gambhir had done an exceptional job as a coach for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL. I hope that he continues to help the Indian team in the same way,” he added.
No Indian team without Rohit and Kohli: Sandeep Patil
Sandeep Patil further said that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still remain an integral member of the Indian team. The senior batters retired from T20Is last month but will continue to play ODI and Test cricket. Patil said that there is no question 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 extremely well and there is no question of an Indian team without them. I wish the Indian team all the best wherever they are playing and whatever tournament they are playing, they are bound to do exceedingly well,” he said.
“Surya comes from Mumbai and is a very dear friend of mine. He has been given the captaincy and he deserved it. I wish him all the best,” he said about India’s newest T20I captain.
