'Got A Call Early Morning': Gautam Gambhir Reveals How he Was Approached For Head Coach Job

Gautam Gambhir's tenure as head coach has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride for Team India. Under his leadership, India endured the lows of losing home series against New Zealand and South Africa, but also reached the highs of clinching two ICC titles. This achievement sets Gambhir apart from previous coaches, as none before him managed to guide Team India to such heights in such a short span of time. Gambhir, who took over the reins from Rahul Dravid after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2024, recently opened up about how he was appointed as India's head coach.

Before joining the national setup, Gambhir served as the mentor of IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders during the 2024 season.

Speaking to ANI, Gambhir recalled how, before KKR's IPL clash against the Mumbai Indians in Mumbai that year, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah called him early in the morning with an offer he "could not say no to." The former India opener revealed that he initially felt he wasn't ready to take on the role of head coach, despite having prior mentoring experience with both the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and KKR.

"We were playing an IPL game in Mumbai. KKR vs MI and it was Jay Shah who called me. He actually called me early in the morning. He said that I have to give you an offer and you cannot say no to me. I said, what? He said, you have to be the head coach (of Team India). And at that time, honestly, I was not even ready. It was a massive surprise for me. I think being the head coach of the Indian team is an honour. It is a privilege because not many people get that opportunity to go back in the dressing room and wear that India jersey again and do something special for the country," said Gambhir on ANI Podcast.

The former batter revealed that when Team India lost the Test series to NZ and ended their 12-year-long unbeaten run at home, it was Jay Shah who encouraged him to "stay strong."

"I think I have gone through a lot of low moments in my tenure as well, which was always expected because, whether it was getting beaten by New Zealand at home or getting beaten by South Africa at home, which I normally do not forget, not many people actually called me after that. I remember the only time someone called me was Jay Shah. Because I remember when we lost a game against New Zealand in Mumbai, i was going back to the airport and I got a call from him. And obviously, he told me to stay strong. He told me that he's there with me during that hour," he said.

(With ANI Inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket