Gautam Gambhir Reveals Reason Behind Accepting India's Head Coach Role

Former Indian opening batter Gautam Gambhir, who succeeded Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team in July, has revealed the reason behind accepting the role of head coach. According to the 42-year-old, he never even thought about the coaching role, even a few months ago, but then the opportunity to represent India motivated him to take the role.

“Never thought about it. In fact, never thought about coaching India, even a couple of months back. If you ask me why, I obviously think it’s an absolute honor to be representing your country once again. Coming back into the dressing room where you’ve spent a lot of time, where you’ve done some special things, and had great memories with all of you guys. Looking forward to the kind of tours we’ve got—the Champions Trophy, the T20 World Cup, and the 50-over World Cup. Sometimes you want to challenge yourself and keep pushing forward, and that was one of the reasons why I thought, ‘Yes, I can contribute.’,” Gambhir told Virat Kohli in a special interview.

“When you’ve got a younger family and you’re spending ten months on the road away from your two girls, it will always be challenging. But unless you have the support of your family, it’s difficult to take up these decisions,” he added.

During the interaction, Gambhir praised Kohli’s knock of 183 runs against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2012 match and said it was probably the best ever ODI innings by an Indian batter.

“I saw you making your debut and playing a really important, very good knock in the Champions Trophy in South Africa on a tricky wicket against West Indies, against a really good attack. Then playing probably the best one-day inning that has been played by an Indian. And I’ve said it before, not just here because you’re sitting in front of me, but I’ve said it not purely from a point of view because guys have got double hundreds as well.”

“When I talk about it being the best inning I’ve seen, it’s because of the quality of opposition, the attack, the conditions, and chasing 300 plus against Pakistan. You’ve come a long way and done some really special things. Most importantly for me, how you’ve taken Indian cricket forward is probably the legacy you’ve left for the next generation to follow,” he added.