Indian cricket team’s head coach Gautam Gambhir turned 43 today, October 14. One of India’s most complete batters in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the opener has won it all. Renowned for his elite mentality and never-dying attitude, Gambhir has produced several match-winning knocks for the Men in Blue in his decades-long career. On the international level, Gambhir has won both the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. On the club level, he led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to Indian Premier League glory on two occasions in 2012 and 2014 as the team’s skipper.
Today let’s take a look at some of his best performances and his journey as coach.
Gautam Gambhir’s Top 5 Performances For India
- 97 vs Sri Lanka, ICC Cricket World Cup Final 2011The 2011 World Cup final at the Wankhede Stadium witnessed a magical touch from Gautam Gambhir as he paved the way for India’s coronation as champions. Chasing a total of 274, Gambhir added 97 runs off 122 balls while smashing nine boundaries. India eventually won the match by six wickets and were crowned the World champions for the second time.
- 75 vs Pakistan, ICC T20 World Cup Final 2007The 2007 T20 World Cup final also witnessed a superb showing from Gautam Gambhir. Playing against arch-rivals Pakistan at the New Wanderers Stadium, he smashed a 54-ball 75. His heroics saw India become the inaugural champions of the ICC event.
- 137 vs New Zealand, 2009Apart from his spoils in white-ball cricket, Gautam Gambhir was also decisive for India in the Test format. Arguably his best Test series, is the New Zealand tour of 2009, he put up one of his finest knocks in red-ball cricket against New Zealand in Napier. Gambhir added 137 runs in India’s second innings but the match was ultimately drawn.
- 114 vs Sri Lanka, 2009Gautam Gambhir haunted Sri Lanka in the 2009 Ahmedabad Test, raking 114 runs in the match’s second innings. He smashed 13 boundaries in the game before the match was drawn.
- 150* vs Sri Lanka, 2009Stitching a crucial partnership with a young Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir produced a dominant knock to sink Sri Lanka’s ship in 2009. Playing at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, he scored an unbeaten 150 while hitting 14 boundaries. His heroics sealed a massive seven-wicket victory for the Men in Blue.
Gautam Gambhir’s Top 5 IPL Performances
- 86 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 2008It didn’t take long for Gautam Gambhir to announce his presence in the inaugural edition of the IPL. He scored a 54-ball 86 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. His blistering innings consisted of 11 boundaries and a six. The Delhi Daredevils won that match by 10 runs.
- 93 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 2012Gautam Gambhir was in peak form during Kolkata Knight Riders’ first IPL-winning season, in 2012. He showcased his batting brilliance once again against RCB at the iconic Eden Gardens. Opening for his team, Gambhir scored a quickfire 51-ball 93. He hit nine boundaries and five sixes in the match as Kolkata won by 47 runs. He was the second-highest run-scorer of that edition of IPL.
- 90* vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2016In the IPL 2016, Gautam Gambhir produced one of his best IPL knocks against a David Warner-led Sunrisers Hyderabad . He remained unbeaten while adding 90 runs in a mere 60 balls. His innings included 13 boundaries and one six ensuring KKR’s victory by eight wickets.
- 76* vs Gujarat Lions, 2017In one of the most one-sided showings in the IPL, Gautam Gambhir inspired KKR to a 10-wicket victory over Gujarat Lions seven years ago. Batting alongside his opening partner Chris Lynn, Gambhir scored a 48-ball 76. He hit the boundary rope 12 times while Lynn added another 93 to ensure Kolkata’s victory.
- 75* vs Rajasthan Royals, 2011The 2011 IPL campaign saw Gautam Gambhir play a powerful knock against the first IPL winners, Rajasthan Royals. During KKR’s chase of 159, he played a captain’s knock smashing an unbeaten 75 runs in just 44 deliveries. He hit 11 boundaries and one six as Kolkata Knight Riders won by nine wickets.
Gautam Gambhir’s journey as a coach/mentor
Ahead of IPL 2022, Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the mentor of the then-new franchise, Lucknow Super Giants. Under his mentorship, the team qualified for playoffs every season until he joined his former franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, as the team mentor in 2024.
His arrival seemed to do wonders for the Kolkata-based outfit as they marched towards their third title with utter dominance. The final was pretty much one-sided with KKR blowing away a Pat Cummins-led Sunrisers Hyderabad and winning the fixture by eight wickets.
Following a successful IPL campaign there was a lot of hype around Gautam Gambhir replacing Rahul Dravid as India’s senior team coach.
In July, BCCI confirmed the news of Gambhir’s appointment as the head coach of Team India. With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, ICC Champions Trophy and a potential World Test Championship final lined up in 2025, it remains to be seen how many accolades India will add under Gambhir’s management.
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