NEW DELHI: Former India opener Gautam Gambhir emerged as a front-runner to replace Rahul Dravid as Team India’s head coach after the T20 World Cup. Gambhir, who is currently mentoring Kolkata Knight Riders, has reportedly been approached by the BCCI for the job.
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram shared his thoughts on Gambhir’s potential as Team India’s next head coach, stating that he believes Gambhir is the best candidate.However, it remains to be seen whether he will accept the position.
“Yeah, he is the best candidate. It depends on whether Gautam accepts it. He has also left politics because it took too much time. It is a time-consuming job. He is a very intelligent person, so he realised it’s not easy. He has two lovely daughters,” Akram told Sportskeeda.
“GG is very simple. Straightforward. Not a difficult person. But he speaks clearly, bluntly and doesn’t think twice, a quality that isn’t part of Indian cricket culture. In our culture, we say things that don’t offend people. But GG is someone who, if he doesn’t like something, will say it to your face. That’s his quality and that’s why everyone likes him. He gets aggressive at times, but that’s him as a person. He will bring that same aggression in the team, but it all boils down to whether he agrees to take up the role.”
Gambhir, 42, has no previous experience of being the head coach at international or domestic level, but has been in a mentorship role in the IPL.
He was the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants franchise in IPL 2022 and 2023, where they qualified for the playoffs in both seasons.
As a player, left-handed opener was a member of India’s triumph in T20 World Cup in 2007 and later, in the 2011 ODI World Cup victory. He also captained KKR to winning two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, as well as runners-up finish in the now-defunct Champions League T20 in 2014.
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram shared his thoughts on Gambhir’s potential as Team India’s next head coach, stating that he believes Gambhir is the best candidate.However, it remains to be seen whether he will accept the position.
“Yeah, he is the best candidate. It depends on whether Gautam accepts it. He has also left politics because it took too much time. It is a time-consuming job. He is a very intelligent person, so he realised it’s not easy. He has two lovely daughters,” Akram told Sportskeeda.
“GG is very simple. Straightforward. Not a difficult person. But he speaks clearly, bluntly and doesn’t think twice, a quality that isn’t part of Indian cricket culture. In our culture, we say things that don’t offend people. But GG is someone who, if he doesn’t like something, will say it to your face. That’s his quality and that’s why everyone likes him. He gets aggressive at times, but that’s him as a person. He will bring that same aggression in the team, but it all boils down to whether he agrees to take up the role.”
Gambhir, 42, has no previous experience of being the head coach at international or domestic level, but has been in a mentorship role in the IPL.
He was the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants franchise in IPL 2022 and 2023, where they qualified for the playoffs in both seasons.
As a player, left-handed opener was a member of India’s triumph in T20 World Cup in 2007 and later, in the 2011 ODI World Cup victory. He also captained KKR to winning two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014, as well as runners-up finish in the now-defunct Champions League T20 in 2014.