As Gautam Gambhir leads the charge as the new head coach of the Indian cricket team in his first assignment, he acknowledged on Monday that he has “big shoes to fill” as the successor of Rahul Dravid.
The former India opener explained his coaching philosophy stating, “I don't complicate too many things. I am taking over a very, very successful team - India are T20 world champions, have been runners-up in the World Test Championship and the 50-overs World Cup.”
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“The best relationship is built on trust. I can promise that the most important thing is that they will always have my back,” said Gambhir.
India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar also explained that Hardik Pandya lost out on the T20 captaincy to Suryakumar Yadav due to concerns over Pandya's availability following frequent injury absences.
Explosive middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav was named as Rohit Sharma's successor in the shortest format for India's white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, which begins on Saturday.
All-rounder Pandya, who served as Sharma's deputy during India's ICC Men’s T20 World Cup triumph last month, has faced fitness issues and missed the 50-over World Cup last year due to an ankle injury.
“Fitness has been something that he's struggled with,” Agarkar told reporters in Mumbai alongside new coach Gautam Gambhir. “As selectors, it becomes difficult then. The thought behind it was that we want someone who is likely to be available more.
“We feel that Surya has all the necessary qualities to be a good captain. We wanted a captain who is likely to play all the games,” he added.
Gambhir’s tenure begins on July 27 with India’s tour of Sri Lanka. This marks his first stint as head coach, though he has previously served as a mentor in the Indian Premier League for both the Lucknow Super Giants and the reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders.
For the Sri Lanka tour, Gambhir will be supported by assistant coaches Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, and bowling coach Sairaj Bahutule.
T Dilip is the only member of the previous coaching support staff to continue serving as the fielding coach. The rest of the support staff will be finalised after the Sri Lanka tour, according to Gambhir.
India begin their Sri Lanka trip with the first of three Twenty20 Internationals on Saturday.
With inputs from AFP
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