Despite not having officially coached a team before, Gambhir’s extensive experience in cricket management makes him a strong fit for the position. He played a crucial role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ three IPL victories—twice as captain and once as a mentor. His success and ability to elevate a team are widely recognized, with former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal stating that Gambhir is the ideal successor to Dravid for advancing Indian cricket.

“Whatever Gambhir touches turns into gold. The team he joins becomes successful. Team India doesn’t need any foreign coaches. They have plenty of options and talent. After Dravid, no one can be the best and bigger than Gautam Gambhir. He was a big player and will become a great coach too. He is the best option India have right now,” Akmal told Times of India.

“Gambhir was with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and they did really well under him. He became a mentor of KKR and they became champions. He is an amazing planner and has a brilliant cricketing mind. I have played a lot of cricket with him. We have been together for a long time. We played, had food and had chats together. We are still good friends. We are still in touch. He should be the head coach and India can go for Ashish Nehra or Zaheer Khan as bowling coach,” added Akmal.

Gambhir’s achievements extend beyond KKR. As a mentor for the Lucknow Super Giants during their inaugural IPL seasons in 2022 and 2023, he guided the team to the Playoffs, earning significant credit for their success. However, Gambhir will need a highly skilled coaching staff to support him with Team India. There are rumors that Jonty Rhodes, who worked with Gambhir at LSG as a fielding coach, is in discussions to join him, though nothing is confirmed yet. Additionally, Gambhir will need to appoint new batting and bowling coaches to complete his coaching team.

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