NEW DELHI: Two-time World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir has been appointed head coach of India men’s cricket team in all formats, starting later this month with the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka.
“India is my identity and serving my country has been the greatest privilege of my life. I am honored to be back, albeit wearing a different hat,” the former batter said on X. “But my goal is the same as it has always been, to make every Indian proud. The Men in Blue shoulder the dreams of 1.4 billion Indians and I will do everything in my power to make these dreams come true.”
BCCI secretary Jay Shah made the announcement on X on Tuesday evening.
As a batter, Gambhir was part of the 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2007 T20 World Cup-winning India teams. The left-hander played a key role in the finals of both tournaments.
Gambhir was ICC’s test player of the year in 2009. He also led Kolkata Knight Riders to twin victories in the Indian Premier League in 2012 and 2014. He retired from international cricket in 2016 with 10,324 runs across all three formats. He then retired from all cricket in 2018 playing the final season of IPL for Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils).
“Modern day cricket has evolved rapidly, and Gautam has witnessed this changing landscape up close,” Shah said. “Having endured the grind and excelled in various roles throughout his career, I am confident that Gautam is the ideal person to steer Indian cricket forward.”
Sri Lanka will host India for three T20s and three ODIs, beginning July 27, with batting stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli expected to be rested for the ODI series.
Gambhir has never officially coached a cricket team. After retiring as a player, he took up mentorship of Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and then was mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024, guiding the franchise to a third IPL title.
He takes over from Rahul Dravid, who led India to its T20 World Cup triumph last month.
The new coach will lead India to some key assignments in the next two years, including the five-test tour of Australia in November, the 2025 Champions Trophy (currently scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan) and the 2026 T20 World Cup (co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka).
India is also currently on path to secure qualification for the 2025 World Test Championship final.
Gambhir, along with India’s cricket selectors, will help rebuild the Indian team for the 2026 World Cup following the T20 retirements of star players Sharma, Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
The BCCI had initially advertised the coaching role for a 3 1/2-year role until December 2027, and as such, Gambhir’s tenure is also expected to include the 2027 Cricket World Cup in South Africa.
Two-time World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir appointed head coach of India men’s cricket team
https://arab.news/pe4jx
Two-time World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir appointed head coach of India men’s cricket team
- Gambhir was part of 2011 Cricket World Cup, 2007 T20 World Cup-winning teams
- The left-handed batsman played a significant role in the finals of both tournaments
Al-Ahli confirm Asian Champions League Elite progress with emphatic 5-0 win over Al-Shorta
- Al-Ahli are joined in the next round by Tractor, who claimed a 2-1 win over Qatar’s Al-Duhail through a late goal by Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh
- The first eight finishers in the league phases in east and west Asia advance to the round of 16, which will be played in March, with the quarterfinals, semifinals and final in Saudi Arabia in April
BAGHDAD: Defending champions Al-Ahli cruised to a 5-0 win over Al-Shorta in Baghdad on Monday as the Saudi Pro League side confirmed their progress to the knockout rounds of the Asian Champions League Elite alongside Iran’s Tractor FC.
Goals from Roger Ibanez, Ivan Toney, Galeno, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat and Ziyad Al-Johani sealed a comfortable win for Matthias Jaissle’s side, who moved on to 13 points from six matches to guarantee a top-eight finish in the 12-team standings.
“We did well today and we go home with three points,” Ibanez said. “That’s the important part.”
Ibanez gave Al-Ahli the lead when he converted Toney’s cut-back in the 30th minute and the former Brentford striker doubled the lead when he raced onto a pass through the middle by Galeno soon after the restart.
Galeno converted from a tight angle and Al-Shamat and Al-Johani netted in the closing stages as Al-Ahli bounced back from a surprise loss to Sharjah FC last month.
Al-Ahli are joined in the next round by Tractor, who claimed a 2-1 win over Qatar’s Al-Duhail through a late goal by Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh.
Benjamin Bourigeaud had given Al-Duhail a 35th-minute lead from the penalty spot but Shojae Khalilzadeh levelled the scores and Hosseinzadeh hit the winner two minutes into stoppage time.
Tractor moved on to 14 points and second in the table behind Al-Hilal who recorded a sixth consecutive win in the competition with a 1-0 victory over Sharjah in the UAE.
Simone Inzaghi’s side had already confirmed their place in the next phase and picked up another three points when Malcom struck with nine minutes remaining.
Al-Gharafa kept their qualification hopes alive through a 1-0 win over Al-Wahda from the UAE with Seydou Sano scoring an 87th-minute winner for the Qatari side.
Al-Gharafa climbed to six points and ninth in the table while Al-Wahda, who have qualified, dropped to fourth.
The first eight finishers in the league phases in east and west Asia advance to the round of 16, which will be played in March, with the quarteRfinals, semifinals and final in Saudi Arabia in April.
