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
Liverpool rocked by last-gasp defeat at Wolves
- Liverpool’s first defeat in five games in all competitions will raise fresh questions about Slot’s Anfield future
LONDON: Liverpool suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolves as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the Premier League’s bottom club on Tuesday.
Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux.
Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November.
But Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool.
It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017.
Liverpool have conceded 14 goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, with only Newcastle shipping more in the same period in the Premier League.
The Reds remain fifth but their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League have been hurt by a defeat that means sixth-placed Chelsea will go above them if they beat Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Liverpool’s first defeat in five games in all competitions will raise fresh questions about Slot’s Anfield future.
This was the first of Liverpool’s two trips to Molineux in the space of four days, with an immediate chance for revenge in the FA Cup fifth round on Friday.
Slot this week said he no longer finds Premier League matches a “joy to watch” due to the rise in set-piece goals, and Liverpool supporters took no pleasure from this dismal performance.
Wolves and Liverpool fans joined in a sustained round of applause on 18 minutes in memory of Diogo Jota, who wore that shirt number during his time at Molineux before joining the Reds.
Portugal forward Jota died in a car crash in Spain last year.
Crest-fallen Slot
That emotional tribute seemed to suck the energy from both teams in a scrappy first half.
Liverpool were punished for their lethargy in the 78th minute.
Tolu Arokodare got away with a nudge on Virgil van Dijk to win the ball before playing a superb pass to Rodrigo Gomes, who held off Ibrahima Konate and guided a clinical finish past Alisson Becker.
Liverpool finally awoke from their slumber after that shock, grabbing an equalizer in the 83rd minute with a helping hand from Wolves.
Wolves midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was guilty of a woeful pass that Salah intercepted, racing into the area for a shot that eluded Jose Sa’s weak attempted save.
Salah has scored just eight goals — five in the league — during a turbulent season.
Liverpool were still creaky at the back and Andre pounced on Alisson’s poor clearance four minutes to steal the points in stoppage-time.
Andre’s powerful strike deflected off Liverpool defender Joe Gomez and looped over the wrong-footed Alisson as Wolves boss Rob Edwards sprinted down the touchline in a wild celebration while Slot looked on crestfallen.
Wolves are 11 points from safety with eight games left and relegation remains almost certain despite this memorable victory.
Everton ended their dismal home form and pushed Burnley closer to relegation with a 2-0 win at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Buoyed by their 3-2 win at Newcastle last weekend, Everton dispatched second-bottom Burnley with their first win in eight home league matches.
Former Burnley defender James Tarkowski put Everton in front with a powerful header from James Garner’s 32nd minute free-kick.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall doubled Everton’s advantage on the hour taking Iliman Ndiaye’s pass and clipping a composed finish past Martin Dubravka from six yards.
Everton remain in contention for a European berth, while Burnley are eight points from safety with just nine games left.
Habib Diarra’s penalty fired Sunderland to a 1-0 victory against Leeds on their first Premier League visit to Elland Road since 2002.
Bournemouth and Brentford shared a goalless draw at the Vitality Stadium that did little to improve either side’s hopes of qualifying for Europe.
