Two-time World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir was on Tuesday officially confirmed the new head coach of the Indian team after Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended with the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados last month.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced the appointment of Gambhir in a social media post.

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“It is with immense pleasure that I welcome Gautam Gambhir as the new head coach of the Indian Cricket Team. Modern-day cricket has evolved rapidly, and Gautam has witnessed this changing landscape up close. 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,” Shah said.

“His clear vision for #TeamIndia, coupled with his vast experience, positions him perfectly to take on this exciting and most sought-after coaching role. The BCCI fully supports him as he embarks on this new journey,” he added.

Gambhir recently inspired Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title haul as a mentor. The KKR job was Gambhir’s second stint in a coaching role after spending a couple of seasons (2022 and 2023) as mentor at Lucknow Super Giants, helping the team qualify for the playoffs both times. Gambhir will take over the role from the limited overs tour of Sri Lanka.

The stylish southpaw will be assigned for the next three years, which will include three major ICC tournaments across different formats, starting with the ICC Champions Trophy early 2025.

The 42-year-old Gambhir takes over a team riding a wave of immense success. They reached the finals of both the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup last year before becoming T20 World Champions, and they are on course to reach their third successive WTC final next year.

However, the greatest challenge that poses in front of the former Delhi batter is that the team is in the middle of a transition phase. He takes over the T20I side following the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja from that format, and these three and a number of other stars in their mid-to-late 30s, including R Ashwin and Mohammed Shami, could be nearing the end of their careers in other formats too.

While the BCCI had advertised for candidates for the role and set a deadline for applications as May 27, the board had held discussions with Gambhir during IPL 2024, where he was Kolkata Knight Riders’ mentor during their run to the title. He had requested for time to make a decision during IPL 2024, but once the season was over he expressed his desire to take over the role in an event in Abu Dhabi.

“Look, I would love to coach the Indian team,” Gambhir said, when asked by a youngster whether he would help India win the World Cup.

“There is no bigger honour. There is no bigger honour than coaching your national team. You are representing 140 crore Indians. And more across the globe as well. And when you represent India, how can it get bigger than that?

“How can I help India win the World Cup – I think it’s not me that will help India win the World Cup, it is 140 crore Indians that will help India win the World Cup. If everyone starts praying for us, and we start playing and representing them, India will win the World Cup. The most important thing is to be fearless and yes, I would love to coach India,” he had said.

Gambhir beat competition from former India cricketer WV Raman, who also was a candidate for the top post.