By Zainab Shafiq 
Gautam Gambhir is likely to succeed Rahul Dravid as the Indian men’s senior team head coach after the T20 World Cup 2024, according to reports.
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir has expressed that he would cherish being at the helm of the Indian national cricket team. Although overall, Rahul Dravid may be stepping down as the head coach after the T20 World Cup 2024, Gambhir is reportedly one of the top contenders to take up his mantle.
Gambhir’s Aspirations
During an interaction with aspiring young sports students at Medeor Hospital in Abu Dhabi, Gambhir was asked about his aspirations to coach the Indian team and his philosophy on how to help the team win a World Cup. The 42-year-old replied, “I would love to coach the Indian team. There is no more enormous honor than coaching your national team. You are representing 140 crore Indians and more across the globe as well. When you represent India, how can it get more significant than that? It is not me who is going to play in the World Cup; it is the 140 million of us who are going to play in the World Cup. If everyone starts praying for us, and we start playing and playing for them, India will win the World Cup. The only thing that matters is to be headstrong.”
Gambhir’s Successful Stint in IPL
Gambhir is most popularly referred to as the messiah whose miraculous efforts turned Kolkata Knight Riders’ fortunes in the Indian Premier League. He led them to three titles, their first in a decade. Indeed an incarnation of inspiration, he led from the front. Gambhir’s tryst with the IPL began as the head coach of Lucknow Super Giants, who were making their debut in 2022; he took them to the playoffs in both 2022 and 2023 before shifting to Knight Riders for the 2024 season. His familiarity with the KKR team, which he had led through seven seasons, thereby winning two titles in 2012 and 2014, had been instrumental in the success.
KKR had been through a poor run in the previous editions of the IPL. They ended up in the seventh position in two consecutive seasons. The advent of Gambhir, with a new zest and zeal to win, had transformed the team. The team won nine out of 14 league games. It stayed strong in the playoffs, finally outclassing Sunrisers Hyderabad in both Qualifier 1 and the finals of the series to lift the coveted title.
The former captain of India, Sourav Ganguly, is also behind the idea of making him the head coach of the Indian team. Ganguly praised Gambhir’s enthusiasm and candidness and said that he had called for his enthusiasm to the long-pending speculation of him becoming the national team coach. With the cricketing fraternity waiting for the news, Gambhir is still at the forefront of replacing Shastri in the Indian national team. His proven success within IPL and a specific vision for Indian cricket marks him as a strong contender to succeed Rahul Dravid.
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