'Big Shoes To Fill': Gautam Gambhir On Succeeding Rahul Dravid As India's Head Coach Ahead Of Sri Lanka Series

Gautam Gambhir gave his first public reaction after he was appointed as the new head coach of Team India ahead of Sri Lanka tour, slated to take place on July 27.

Gambhir was the front runner to take up coaching duties for Team India and his appointment was confirmed by the BCCI secretary Jay Shah. Gautam Gambhir succeeded Rahul Dravid, who ended his stint as the head coach with a T20 World Cup triumph after the Men in Blue defeated South Africa in the Final Barbados last month

Speaking at the press conference before India's departure to Sri Lanka, Gambhir said that he has 'big shoes' to fill left by Rahul Dravid as he is taking charge as head coach of very successful team.

"I'm taking over a very, very successful team. A T20 world champion. Runner-up in the World Test Championship and runner-up in the ODI World Cup. It's not that it's not a successful team. I have big shoes to fill and I'm really looking forward to it." Gambhir said.

Under the guidance of Rahul Dravid, Team India reached the semifinal of the 2022 T20 World Cup, the finals of the World Test Championship, the ODI World Cup last year, and triumphed in the T20 World Cup this year. The Men in Blue also won the Asia Cup title by defeating Sri Lanka in the final last year.

Gautam Gambhir's past coaching experience

The upcoming Sri Lanka tour is the first international assignment for Gautam Gambhir as the head coach, marking his return to Team India after 8 years in a different capacity.

However, Gambhir has prior experience as the mentor in the Indian Premier League. The 42-year-old was the mentor for Lucknow Super Giants two seasons from 2022 to 2023. He played a vital role behind the scenes to help LSG reach the playoffs for two consecutive IPL seasons.

In 2024, Gautam Gambhir returned to Kolkata Knight Riders after seven years as the mentor. He was the captain of KKR from 2011 to 2017 and the led the team to IPL titles in 2012 and 2014.

However, as a mentor, Gambhir yet again played a vital role to help Kolkata Knight Riders to clinch the third IPL title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Final this year.