After being named the head coach of the Indian National cricket team, former cricketer Gautam Gambhir shared an emotional farewell video to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the IPL franchise he has been a part of since 2011.
Gambhir led KKR to victory, securing two IPL titles as a player and a third as a mentor in 2024.
In the video, Gambhir expressed his deep connection with the franchise, 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 become with you. I am you Kolkata, I am just one of you. I know your struggles and I know where it hurts. 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.”
Stepping into the role previously held by T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid, Gambhir is eager to leave his mark, with his first series against Sri Lanka set for late July.
His tenure with KKR has opened new opportunities for the 42-year-old, whose exceptional mentorship during the 2024 IPL showcased his leadership qualities, leading to his selection for this significant position.
“This Kolkata air talks to me, the sounds, streets, 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, a story 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,” Gambhir added.
“As we both take our fresh chords we promise each other we will never walk alone. It will also be shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand. It will all be about that tricolor, it will all be about our India,” concluded the new head coach of the Indian team.
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