Gautam Gambhir, the current head coach of Indian cricket team and a legendary batter turns 43 today (October 14), he is known to be one of the most versatile opener. Known for his aggressive approach for explosive hitting he has played several match winning knocks for Team India and now he is guiding the team towards consecutive victories in all the formats. On the international platform, he was part of the winning squads for both the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. He has also led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to Indian Premier League titles in 2012 and 2014.
Here’s a look at his top 5 career highlights:
World Cup Final, 2011: 97 Against Sri Lanka
Gautam Gambhir‘s hundred was pretty much the difference between a precarious position of 31 for 2, when rescued by a few crucial alliances-most notably, one with Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. Though he fell short of his century, his innings was the foundation point that set India on its way to victory, ultimately the famous six by Dhoni.
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Border-Gavaskar Trophy, 3rd Test: 206 Against Australia
Having taken an initial 1-0 advantage in the 2008 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with a victory at Mohali, India first witnessed a double-century for Gautam Gambhir: in Delhi on the third Test. He helped stabilize the Indian batting by being at the crease against the top-order collapse. When India declared at 613 for 7, the match ended as a draw. Suspended for elbowing Shane Watson, Gambhir was the highest run-getter of the series.
India Vs Sri Lanka: A Magnificent 150
At R. Premadasa Stadium, in the fourth one-day game of India’s 2009 tour of Sri Lanka, Gautam Gambhir’s brilliant 150 took India to 332 for 5 after an early collapse. His outright 188-run stand with MS Dhoni proved well enough. The match also saw Muttiah Muralitharan become the top wicket-taker in ODIs. Ultimately, India managed to emerge victorious as Sri Lanka could only maintain 265 runs.
T20 World Cup Final, 2007: 75 Against Pakistan
Gautam Gambhir proved extremely crucial for India after he gave a match-winning contribution of 75 runs from 54 deliveries, which pushed India to a competitive total of 157 for 5. However, Misbah-ul-Haq made a late reflex effort in the game, but India had already succeeded in ensuring their first T20 World Cup title with a loss by five runs. While the actual hero of the match is more than likely Irfan Pathan- who took Man of the Match, with the figures of 3 for 16, along with his eighth ODI half-century in his last match played, today Gambhir was perhaps the silent hero.
New Zealand Vs India, Test: Match-Winning 167
India managed to win the last Test of the series at Wellington, their first win in New Zealand since 1968. Except for Gambhir’s six-hitting knock of 167, major knocks were also displayed by Tendulkar, Harbhajan, and Dhoni as well all scoring fifties, while Zaheer Khan took five wickets.
Gautam Gambhir’s Coaching Era
In IPL 2022, Gautam Gambhir became the mentor of this newly formed team Lucknow Super Giants. The team remained a playoff contender each year while under his guidance until he moved back to his former franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, as their mentor in 2024.
His presence transformed the Kolkata team, which went on to surge towards its third title with some scintillating performances. The final was decisively one-sided, with KKR defeating a Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets. After this triumphant IPL season, speculation grew that Gambhir would possibly replace Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the Indian national team.
The BCCI has officially appointed Gambhir head coach of Team India. In the wake of potential possibilities and bigger events like Border-Gavaskar Trophy, ICC Champions Trophy, and a World Test Championship final, it will be interesting to see how many accolades India could achieve under his leadership in 2025.
