“He will infuse that winning culture” – Dinesh Karthik wants Gautam Gambhir to next Head Coach

While it has been widely reported that former India opener Gautam Gambhir as the next India head coach is a ‘done deal’, an official announcement on the team’s new boss replacing Rahul Dravid might take a few more days.
But experts have no doubt left that Gambhir is the kind of character who has the fire inside him to take the Indian team to new heights.

Among his most recent successes, Gambhir took over the role of KKR mentor just before IPL 2024 and became the chief architect of KKR’s third triumph in the T20 league. It only added to his credentials as a mentor, after he had taken LSG to the playoffs in 2 successive editions, before moving to join KKR in a similar role.

“What a record he has had as a coach!” said the former wicketkeeper cum batsman Dinesh Karthik, who announced his retirement after IPL 2024 on Cricbuzz.
“Being a mentor for LSG, 2 years on the bounce qualifying (for playoffs), comes to KKR and they sat, ‘Please, you got to do something special for us’. Ends up winning the trophy.”

It was effectively Gambhir’s third IPL title in KKR colours. When the team won its 2 titles in 2012 and 2014, Gambhir was the KKR captain.

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“He has been at the helm, taken all the decisions, be it sending Sunil Narine opening or getting Mitchell Starc in the auction in all of those big recruits and getting the right team, the right balance, and then taking all the shots,” Karthik who has previously played for KKR in the IPL said.

“I am seeing in the news that he could be part of the Indian team as well, and I really wish he does. He has that fire in him,” Gambhir added.

Gautam Gambhir’s track record as a player and coach/mentor reflects that he knows what it takes to win big tournaments. Besides 3 IPL titles with KKR, Gambhir was part of the team under MS Dhoni when India won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup.

Dinesh Karthik believes that Gambhir has put things in such proper order at KKR that even if he has to leave the job and take up the role of India’s chief coach, KKR remain well placed to excel in the next IPL season as well.

“I think he has really built a good (KKR) team, one that will have a lot of players retained and he has left them in a very, very good place. And if he gets the opportunity (India coach), I hope he takes it. Being part of the national team and the patriotism that he has, I think he will be tempted to take it and I wish he comes in because he will infuse that winning culture he has infused here (at KKR),” reckoned Gambhir.

“India would do very well under him because I feel he has that fire that is needed. When it comes to KKR, whenever he is back (after a stint as India coach), they will take him back with open arms. But I do believe he has left Shreyas Iyer and the team in a much better place than it was when he took it (mentorship role).”

Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doul was also part of the discussion on Cricbuzz and fully agreed with Karthik’s opinion.

“Those (Gambhir) are the kind of people you want at the helm highly respected, tough. He is a tough character, but I think he is a very fair character and I think he will do a great job if he were to take over if he were to accept the role,” said Doull.

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