Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players'Gautam Gambhir is smiling over the photo!' Hardik Pandya's mid-interview act leaves head coach awkward amid rare moment
With India's thrilling win in Dubai on Sunday, Gautam Gambhir became the fifth man in the world to win an ICC trophy both as a player and head coach.
The 2025 Champions Trophy was Gautam Gambhir's last opportunity to prove his worth, as reports claimed after a rocky start to his tenure as a head coach of the Indian team. A series loss in Sri Lanka, whitewash against New Zealand at home in a Test series and defeat Down Under in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series earlier in January sparked questions on Gambhir's future in the role. But the Indian team answered back in style on Sunday, beating the Kiwis by four wickets in the final to lift the Champions Trophy for an unprecedented third time.
He may not have celebrated like his successor, Rahul Dravid after India's T20 World Cup win last June, but the rare smile was enough to turn heads. It was eventually caught on camera during a live broadcast after the match when Hardik Pandya pointed towards the former India opener in the middle of his interview.
Talking to Jatin Sapru on Star Sports, Hardik said, " There is a lot of self-belief within the group. See, there is a happy bunch of people, and everyone is smiling around." The all-rounder pointed towards a few Indian players who were posing with Gambhir for a photograph.
An ecstatic Sapru interrupted Hardik, saying, "Gautam Gambhir is smiling over the photo!" The reaction left Gambhir awkward, and Rishabh Pant and Kuldeep Yadav, who were waiting to get a picture with the India head coach, were left in splits.
"He is a wonderful person and is always smiling," Hardik added.
Gambhir joins Dravid in elite company
With India's thrilling win in Dubai on Sunday, Gambhir became the fifth man in the world to win an ICC trophy both as a player and head coach. The 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup champion joined India legend Rahul Dravid, along with Australians Darren Lehmann and Geoff Marsh and South Africa's Gary Kirsten, in an elite group.
Dravid, who was the head coach during India's victorious 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, had previously won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2002, the year India had shared the title with Sri Lanka after an abandoned final.
The ICC tournament will be followed by a lengthy break for Gambhir, with the Indian players finding themselves amid the IPL 2025 season. His next assignment will be the tour of England in late June.
