Former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower has put his weight behind Gautam Gambhir to deliver the goods as India’s head coach. Flower observed Gambhir from close quarters as Lucknow Super Giants head coach when the latter was a mentor. LSG qualified for the back to back playoffs under Flower and Gambhir in 2022 and 2023.

Gambhir will take over the coaching baton from Rahul Dravid, who played a key role in taking India to T20 World Cup glory. The former Indian opener also took Kolkata Knight Riders to glory in IPL 2024 as a mentor.

Gambhir is known to take the bull by its horns and he is expected to adopt an aggressive approach as a head coach.

“Well, the first thing he’s got to do is just give up his legends cricket at the moment. He’s quite a man Gautam Gambhir, I really enjoyed working with him. He’s got strong opinions, he’s got strong clear views on the game. He’s very decisive, he’s a very proud Indian, he loves Indian cricket and his position, representing Indian cricket. I think it’s a good appointment and I think he’s going to be successful,” said Andy Flower on Sony Sports.

On the other hand, Tamil Nadu batter Abhinav Mukund said Gambhir will be determined to take forward the legacy and deliver as a coach.

“He’s a really good choice for the job. A lot of these younger players look upto him and respect him. He’s very astute on the field we’ve seen him as a captain but now more as a coach brought the team to success after 10 years. I’m sure he will be thinking I want to take this legacy forward. Won a world cup, let’s win a lot more in the next two or three years,” said Abhinav Mukund.

The upcoming Sri Lanka’s tour will be the maiden assignment for Gautam Gambhir.