Following his appointment as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, former Indian batter Gautam Gambhir paid tribute to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and its fans as he vacates his position as the franchise’s coach.
Gambhir, who helped KKR secure their first title in a decade this season, will replace batting legend Rahul Dravid, announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on July 9.
Gambhir shared a heartwarming video on X, reflecting on his deep connection with Kolkata, a franchise he led to two IPL titles as captain. In his message, Gambhir acknowledged his bond with Kolkata, stating, “We are a story, a team,” but emphasized the “bigger legacies” to be made with Team India.
“I smile when you smile. I cry when you cry. I win when you win. I lose when you lose. I dream when you dream. I achieve when you achieve. I believe with you and I become with you. I am you, Kolkata, I am just one of you. I know your struggles and I know where it hurts. The rejections have crushed me but like you, I wake up embracing hope. I get beaten every day but like you, I am yet to be defeated. They tell me to be popular, I tell them to be a winner. I am you, Kolkata, I am just one of you. This Kolkata air talks to me. The sounds, the streets here, the traffic jams. They all convey how you feel. I hear what you say, but I know what you mean. I know you are emotional. So am I. I know you’re demanding. So am I. Kolkata, we are a bond. We are a story. We are a team,” said Gambhir in his video message.
“And now the time has come when we have to create some legacies together. The time has come when we have to write some bigger and bolder scripts. The script not with purple ink but in that blue, the treasured India blue. As we both take our fresh card we promise each other that we will never walk alone. It will always be shoulder-to-shoulder, hand in hand. It will all be for the tricolor. It will all be about our India,” he added.
Gambhir’s stint with KKR in IPL 2024 received acclaim for transforming the team’s playing style after some underwhelming seasons. Led by openers Phil Salt and Sunil Narine, KKR became one of the most formidable batting units of the season. The spin bowling duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Narine, along with the youthful energy of Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora, played significant roles in the title win. This success also boosted the profile of Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who had been removed from the BCCI’s central contract list earlier this year.
Fans are eager to see Gambhir bring his aggressive, winning, and never-give-up mentality to Team India. Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach ended after the T20 World Cup 2024, where India clinched the trophy by defeating South Africa by seven runs, marking their first T20 World Cup win in 17 years. The final saw a crucial partnership between Virat Kohli and Axar Patel, propelling India to a total of 176/7, which they successfully defended to secure the title.
