SL vs IND: Before the tour of Sri Lanka, Gautam Gambhir spoke at a press conference about his goals and ambitions for the Indian cricket team.
Gautam Gambhir, the new head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team, has set his goals. The former India batter emphasized the importance of creating a “happy dressing room” and building on the team’s recent success, including their victory in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the Caribbean and the United States. Gambhir, who took over from Rahul Dravid, aims to keep things simple.
Gambhir gained attention after mentoring the Knight Riders to victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He is excited to lead a “champion” team that finished as runners-up in the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup before winning the T20 World Cup.
Before heading to Sri Lanka for the ODI and T20I series, Gambhir spoke at a press conference with Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors.
“I have always said that a happy dressing room is a winning dressing room. That’s my responsibility. For me, I don’t complicate too many things. I am taking over a very successful team. T20 World champions, runners-up in the World Test Championship and the 50-over World Cup. There are gaps to fill, but this is a champion team,” Gambhir said.
Gautam Gambhir speaks on his relationship with BCCI secretary Jay Shah
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Gautam Gambhir highlighted the importance of prioritizing the growth of Indian cricket over personal interests. He spoke about his close relationship with Jay Shah, emphasizing their shared dedication to advancing the sport. Gambhir stated that improving Indian cricket should come first, and that it’s crucial to ignore rumors and ensure everyone is on the same page. He reiterated the need for unity and a common commitment to the sport’s development.
Gautam Gambhir said: “The betterment of Indian cricket is more important, Gautam Gambhir is not important. All of us have a heart in the right place and all of us think that indian cricket needs to move forward.”
“I’ve got a fabulous relationship with him (Jay Shah). We go a long way back and all these speculations about different things, we’ve been on different pages. I think we can do a better job from probably clarifying those things. It’s been a great relationship. Hopefully, it continues that way because the betterment of Indian cricket is more important, Gautam Gambhir is not important.”
India vs Sri Lanka squad
India’s T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.
India’s ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.