Gautam Gambhir has started his tenure as the head coach of the Indian cricket team. The Men in Blue won their first T20I series under his coaching, but the ODI series against Sri Lanka stands in favor of the islanders 1-0 after the first two games.
Gambhir still has a long way to go as the coach because he will be the head coach till the 2027 World Cup. The former Indian opener played a huge role in the nation’s 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup triumphs. Not many fans would remember that Gambhir even captained India in six ODI matches, and India won all of them.
He captained India in five ODIs against New Zealand at home and a home game against West Indies, where the Men in Blue maintained a 100%-win record. The following three active Indian players played under Gambhir’s captaincy in some of those six games.
1. Virat Kohli played under Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy in 2011
In the home ODI against West Indies in 2011, Virat Kohli was a part of the Indian playing XI led by Gambhir. The match happened at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on December 11, where India won by 34 runs. Kohli batted at number five and scored a magnificent 80 off 85 balls.
2. Rohit Sharma
Current Indian captain Rohit Sharma also featured in the playing XI for that ODI match against West Indies. Sharma, who opens the batting for India now, batted at number six in that fixture and aggregated 21 runs. Besides, Sharma also played under Gambhir’s captaincy in the ODIs against New Zealand in 2010.
3. Ravindra Jadeja
Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has retired from T20Is, but he will be active in Tests and ODIs. The left-arm all-rounder turned up for India in the 2011 Chennai ODI against West Indies, where he did not get a chance to bat. Jadeja bowled an impressive spell of 3/62, dismissing Daren Sammy, Denesh Ramdin and Kemar Roach. He is yet to play a match for India under Gambhir’s coaching.
