Gautam Gambhir recently became the first Indian coach to win two ICC trophies.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir's high risk, high reward approach paid off for India as they bagged a record third T20 World Cup title last week
With this triumph, Gambhir became the first Indian head coach to win two ICC titles, having secured the Champions Trophy last year. He also guided the team to Asia Cup triumph in 2025.
Gambhir took over the reins in 2024 despite having no prior coaching experience. The only experience on his resume was a three-year mentorship stint in the Indian Premier League.
Gambhir began with Lucknow Super Giants, guiding the team to the playoffs in the 2022 and 2023 IPL seasons. The following year, he moved to Kolkata Knight Riders, helping the franchise win its third IPL title.
In a recent interaction with RevSportz, Gambhir conceded that he was initially hesitant to take up the high-profile job and it was Jay Shah, then BCCI secretary, who persuaded him.
“It was a privilege, and I remember that during that tenure, when I came back to KKR after 7-8 years as a mentor and then when we started, when KKR started doing well, I got a call from Jay bhai that this is what you need to take. You need to be the head coach," Gambhir said.
“And I at that time was not ready for it because I had never been the head coach of any franchise, any team. I’ve never, never been the head coach."
“I’ve always been the mentor, and I remember how big a challenge it was because being a mentor is completely different to being the head coach and that also of the Indian cricket team. But sometimes what fun there is in life if there are no challenges."
“And I felt that if I have the honesty, if my heart is in the right place, if I know what I feel for Indian cricket, then I should take up that challenge," he added.
Gambhir acknowledged KKR’s pivotal role in his coaching journey with the Indian team. “And probably yes, Kolkata did play a huge role in me getting that job. Because if I hadn’t got back to KKR, if we hadn’t done well, probably I wouldn’t have been in that position where I am right now," the former India opener said.
“So for me, I think yes, Kolkata or KKR has been extremely lucky to me, whether it’s from the leadership point of view or whether I’m being the head coach now of the Indian team, look, I have a special relationship with Kolkata," he remarked.
Gautam Gambhir’s contract as India head coach runs until the 2027 ODI World Cup, and he might get an extension till the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if the BCCI approves.