India’s newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir is all set to begin his tenure with the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka next week.
Ahead of the team’s departure to Sri Lanka on July 22, Gambhir addressed a press conference, where he spoke on a range of topics, including his relationship with BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
"I have a fabulous relationship with him. Jay Shah and I go a long way back. All these speculations about different things are given on different pages. I think we can do a better job by clarifying those things rather than putting it in the press. We go a long way back. So far, it's been a great relationship. Hopefully, it continues that way," Gambhir told reporters.
Known for his candid opinions, the 42-year-old further stated that the welfare of the Indian team is more important than him.
"The betterment of Indian cricket is more important. Gambhir is not important. All of us have hearts in the right place. If we all think that Indian cricket has to move forward, we will be on the same page. So far, I have had a great working relationship with him, hopefully, it will continue in the future as well," Gambhir remarked.
Gautam Gambhir has been roped in by the BCCI with a lot of expectations after he mentored Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the IPL title earlier this year. The former opener has replaced the legendary Rahul Dravid in the high-profile role.
India’s tour of Sri Lanka is slated to get underway with the three-match T20I series on July 27. It will be followed by an ODI series of three games.
While Pallekele will be hosting the T20I leg of the series, the 50-over matches will be played in Colombo.
India’s T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj
India’s ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Akshar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana
(With ANI Inputs)
