Following his appointment as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, former Indian batter Gautam Gambhir shared a heartfelt tribute to the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and its fans.
Gambhir, who recently stepped down as KKR's coach after leading them to their first title in a decade, posted an emotional farewell message.
On July 9, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced that Gambhir would succeed Rahul Dravid as the head coach of Team India.
Gambhir shared a heartfelt video on X, expressing his deep connection with Kolkata, a franchise he previously led to two IPL titles as captain. In his message, he acknowledged the bond between him and Kolkata, stating that ‘bigger legacies’ and ‘bigger and bolder’ scripts are yet to be written with him now part of the Indian cricket team coaching set-up.
Video: Kind courtesy Gautam Gambhir/X
"I smile when you smile. I cry when you cry. I win when you win. I lose when you lose. I dream when you dream. I achieve when you achieve. I believe with you and I become with you. I am you, Kolkata, I am just one of you. I know your struggles and I know where it hurts. The rejections have crushed me but like you, I wake up embracing hope. I get beaten every day but like you, I am yet to be defeated. They tell me to be popular, I tell them to be a winner. I am you, Kolkata I am just one of you. This Kolkata air talks to me. The sounds, the streets here, the traffic jams. They all convey how you feel. I hear what you say, but I know what you mean. I know you are emotional. So am I. I know you're demanding. So am I. Kolkata, we are a bond. We are a story. We are a team," Gambhir said in his video message.
"And now the time has come when we have to create some legacies together. The time has come when we have to write some bigger and bolder scripts. The script not with purple ink but in that blue, the treasured India blue. As we both take our fresh card we promise each other that we will never walk alone. It will always be shoulder-to-shoulder, hand in hand. It will all be for the tricolor. It will all be about our India," he added.
Gambhir's stint with KKR in IPL 2024 was widely acclaimed as he transformed the team's playing style after several underwhelming seasons. Led by openers Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, KKR became one of the most feared and hard-hitting batting units of the season. The spin bowling duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Narine, along with the youthful energy of Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora, also played significant roles in the team's title win. The title win also boosted the profile of Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who had been removed from the BCCI's central contract list earlier this year.
Fans are eager to see Gambhir bring the same aggressive, winning mentality to the Indian national team. Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach ended after India's thrilling seven-run victory over South Africa in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024, securing their second T20 World Cup title after 17 years. Virat Kohli and Axar Patel's attacking partnership helped India post a competitive total of 176/7, and despite a nervy defence, the Men in Blue managed to clinch the win.
With Gambhir at the helm, there is great anticipation for India's future successes on the international stage.
