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Rahul Dravid receives indirect mention from Gautam Gambhir as head coach inherits 'successful' India side from The Wall
Rahul Dravid received a special mention from Gautam Gambhir in the new India coach's first press conference prior to India's tour of India.
Marking a new chapter in Indian cricket, Gautam Gambhir has taken over as India's head coach across all formats. The two-time ICC World Cup winner succeeded Rahul Dravid as the new head coach of the men's senior team after the ICC T20 World Cup. In his coaching swansong, Dravid guided Rohit Sharma's Team India to T20 World Cup glory in the Caribbean. Speaking to reporters in his first press conference as head coach, Gambhir admitted that he has some big shoes to fill in his second innings at Team India.
Gambhir has inherited an extremely 'successful' Indian side from Dravid. Nicknamed The Wall, batting legend Dravid guided India to Asia Cup glory before Rohit and Co. contested the final of the One Day International (ODI) World Cup at home last year. Under Dravid's watch, India played against Australia in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).
Dravid-coached Team India also made it to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022 before lifting the famous trophy this year. "The most important thing is that they will always have my back. Aim to make it a happy and secure dressing room. I am taking over a very successful team. Runner-ups in WTC and 50-overs World Cup. I have big shoes to fill and looking forward to it," Gambhir told reporters at the press conference in Mumbai.
Gambhir confirms India's new assistant coaches
In the recently concluded press conference, Gambhir also confirmed that Abhishek Nayar and Ryan Ten Doeschate have joined the India setup as assistant coaches. Gambhir has worked with Nayar and Ten Doeschate at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The two-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winner parted ways with KKR before taking up the high-profile job at Team India.
Gambhir's first assignment
Gambhir's first assignment as head coach is the upcoming white-ball series between India and Sri Lanka. Gambhir's Team India named Suryakumar Yadav as the new captain of the T20I side. Superstar Shubman Gill is India's vice-captain in T20Is and ODIs for the Sri Lanka tour. Gambhir-coached Team India will meet Sri Lanka in the T20I series opener at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on July 27.
