Video: Coach Gautam Gambhir Officially ‘Takes Charge’ As Team India Holds 1st Practice Session In Sri Lanka

Gautam Gambhir’s officially taken over as Team India’s head coach, and the squad got rolling with their first practice in Pallekele on Tuesday.

Gambhir was everywhere, chatting with the young guys and keeping a sharp eye on everyone. He also gave batting tips to the likes of Sanju Samson and the rest.

Suryakumar Yadav-led India and Sri Lanka are gearing up for the first of three T20Is in Pallekele on July 27. This series is Gambhir’s first big test since he took over from Rahul Dravid.

After the T20Is, they’ll be off to Colombo for three ODIs starting August 2.

GG’s return to Team India

Gambhir’s path to becoming head coach has been quite the adventure. He’s had mentorship gigs in the IPL, even without loads of coaching experience, much like Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble when they landed the top job for India.

With Gambhir at the helm, the Lucknow Super Giants made it to the playoffs two years in a row. Then he moved on to mentor the Kolkata Knight Riders, the team he led to two IPL titles, and helped them snag the trophy in May.

Massive challenges lay ahead for Gambhir

As head coach, Gambhir’s got his hands full managing the team’s transition across formats. With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja retiring, the T20I squad is already seeing some shifts.

The Test team has been gradually changing since the West Indies series last year, with bigger changes on the horizon after the World Test Championship final in 2025. The ODI team will also see a shake-up after the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Besides all these transitions, Gambhir needs to juggle the workload of key players and get the team ready for the five-match Test series in Australia later this year and in England next year.

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