“I’m you Kolkata, I’m just one of you” - Gautam Gambhir's heartfelt message to Kolkata fans before joining Team India

Gautam Gambhir shared a heartfelt message with Kolkata Knight Riders fans before taking up the position of Team India's head coach. On July 9, BCCI secretary Jay Shah announced the former Indian batter's appointment as the team's new head coach.

The 2011 ODI World Cup winner will succeed Rahul Dravid, whose contract ended after the 2024 T20 World Cup, which Team India won.

Gautam shares a strong connection with Kolkata, having won the IPL title twice, in 2012 and 2014, with the franchise as a player. He made a highly anticipated return to the team for IPL 2024 as a mentor, and the move immediately paid dividends. Kolkata won their third IPL title, the first in 10 years.

However, his time as mentor ended after a single season, as Gambhir now prepares to lead Team India. The left-handed former batter posted a video on Instagram in which he thanked the Kolkata supporters, saying:

"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'm just one of you. I know you're 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."

"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 tri-color. It will all be about our India," Gambhir said.

Gautam Gambhir is set to start his new role in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Team India will face the island nation in a three-match T20I series, followed by a three-match ODI series.

---

“I will do everything in my power to make these dreams come true!” - Gautam Gambhir expressed gratitude after being announced as the coach of Men in Blue

After being officially appointed as the coach of India’s men's team, Gautam Gambhir expressed his gratitude and said he was proud to represent the country again in a different role. Gautam shared a picture of the Indian flag and wrote:

“India is my identity and serving my country has been the greatest privilege of my life. I’m honoured to be back, albeit wearing a different hat. But my goal is the same as it has always been, to make every Indian proud. The men in blue shoulder the dreams of 1.4 billion Indians and I will do everything in my power to make these dreams come true!”

Gautam Gambhir has more than 10,000 international runs with 20 centuries to his name. He also played an important role in helping India win the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup.