Ahead of Gambhir’s first match as India’s head coach, Dravid shared a special message for him and welcomed him to the most exciting job.
Today’s date, July 27, sets to mark the new era of the Indian cricket team, as the Men in Blue are all set to play their first ever match under new coach Gautam Gambhir. The side will be locking horns against Sri Lanka for the first T20I game at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. The former India opener succeeded Rahul Dravid, who made a fairy tale exit from the Indian cricket team after the side lifted the 2024 T20 World Cup as Rohit Sharma and his men defeated the South African side on June 29 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
Rohit Sharma and Co. tasted a lot of success under Rahul Dravid and made it to the semi-finals of the 2022 T20 World Cup, the final of the World Test Championship, and the ODI World Cup with a plethora of Test and ODI series wins. The 42-year-old cricketer, Gautam Gambhir, was handed a contract for five years, which means that the side is set to play Champions Trophy 2025, T20 World Cup 2026, ODI World Cup 2027, WTC 2023-2025, and WTC 2025-2027 under his coaching skills.
Meanwhile, former India head coach Rahul Dravid has sent a special message to him ahead of the first match. The 51-year-old cricketer lauded Gambhir’s tactic and pragmatic skills on the field and talked about the passion that Gambhir carries and his desire to win matches single-handedly. The former India skipper reflected on how his stint had a dreamy ending and wished Gambhir good luck in his new role. The legendary cricketer wished the new coach had a fully fit squad and support from the management. Following the same, the newly appointed head coach, Gautam Gambhir, was left speechless by Rahul Dravid’s gesture and said that it got him very emotional.
𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 & 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲! 📝
To,
Gautam Gambhir ✉From,
Rahul Dravid 🔊#TeamIndia | #SLvIND | @GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/k33X5GKHm0— BCCI (@BCCI) July 27, 2024
“As your teammate, I saw you giving it your all on the field. As your batting partner and fellow fielder, I saw your resilience and your refusal to surrender. Across many IPL seasons, I noted your desire to win, your assistance to work with younger players, and your drive to extract the best out of your team on the field. I know how dedicated and passionate you are about Indian cricket, and I’m sure you will bring all these qualities into this new job. As you know, the expectations will be high and the scrutiny will be intense. But even in the worst of times, you will never be alone,”,” Rahul Dravid said in the video.
