India head coach Gautam Gambhir© X (Twitter)


The new head coach Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday took charge of the Indian men’s cricket team as the visitors hit the ground running in their first practice session in Pallekele, ahead of three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Gambhir, who replaced the legendary Rahul Dravid at the helm, led the team to the ground and oversaw the training session which included fielding drills and sessions with the players. The training session was mostly around running, catching and one-on-one interactions. The new T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav was also involved in an interaction with the players.

Gambhir was seen giving some batting tips to Sanju Samson and had a chat with all-rounder Shivam Dube.

Former India all-rounder Abhishek Nayar and the Netherlands batter Ryan ten Doeschate are part of Gambhir’s coaching staff for the tour of Sri Lanka. The trio had recently collaborated to lead the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the IPL 2024 title.

Their first assignment with the national team will commence on July 27 with T20I series followed by three ODIs.

T Dilip, who was a part of Dravid’s support staff, will continue as the fielding coach. Additionally, Sairaj Bahutule, associated with the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, will serve as the interim bowling coach. 

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