Gautam Gambhir was named the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team after Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended with the T20 World Cup 2024 triumph in June. His stint with the Men in Blue began on a bitter-sweet note last month as India blanked Sri Lanka 3-0 in T20Is but lost the ODIs 0-2.
Having said that, Gambhir has a long road with stern challenges ahead. His next assignment with the Indian team is the home Test series against Bangladesh, starting September 19 in Chennai.
On the eve of the first Test, Gambhir sat down for an engaging conversation with Virat Kohli for bcci.tv, where he revealed the reason behind accepting the role of head coach.
The 42-year-old revealed that he didn’t think about the coaching role even a few months ago, but the opportunity to represent India motivated him to take up the job.
“Never thought about it. In fact, never thought about coaching India, even a couple of months back. If you ask me why, I obviously think it’s an absolute honor to be representing your country once again. Coming back into the dressing room where you’ve spent a lot of time, where you’ve done some special things, and had great memories with all of you guys. Looking forward to the kind of tours we’ve got—the Champions Trophy, the T20 World Cup, and the 50-over World Cup. Sometimes you want to challenge yourself and keep pushing forward, and that was one of the reasons why I thought, ‘Yes, I can contribute.’,” Gambhir said.
“When you’ve got a younger family and you’re spending ten months on the road away from your two girls, it will always be challenging. But unless you have the support of your family, it’s difficult to take up these decisions,” he added.
During the freewheeling chat, Gambhir hailed Kohli’s match-winning knock of 183 against Pakistan during the Asia Cup 2012 and called it ‘probably the best ODI innings’ by an Indian batter.
“I saw you making your debut and playing a really important, very good knock in the Champions Trophy in South Africa on a tricky wicket against West Indies, against a really good attack. Then playing probably the best one-day inning that has been played by an Indian. And I’ve said it before, not just here because you’re sitting in front of me, but I’ve said it not purely from a point of view because guys have got double hundreds as well,” Gambhir stated.
“When I talk about it being the best inning I’ve seen, it’s because of the quality of opposition, the attack, the conditions, and chasing 300 plus against Pakistan. You’ve come a long way and done some really special things. Most importantly for me, how you’ve taken Indian cricket forward is probably the legacy you’ve left for the next generation to follow,” he further remarked.
