Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has credited Jay Shah and thanked him for supporting him in the tough times since BGT. On the other hand, he has given him credit for the smooth transition within the Indian team.
India took up the challenge of defending the ICC T20 World Cup title and newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir started rebuilding the team with a fresh mind after the stalwarts of Indian cricket stepped down just before the start of his tenure.
However, Gambhir did not disappoint, at least in the shortest format of the game, as he coached India into one of the greatest teams in T20Is. Under Gambhir’s tutelage, India retained their position as the No. 1-ranked T20I team and also maintained their undefeated streak in T20I bilateral matches. Ultimately, he led them to a historic win in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Gautam Gambhir thanks Jay Shah for his support during his tenure
Gautam Gambhir started his coaching tenure with the Indian team after Rahul Dravid stepped down from the post in 2024. He set out to defend the T20 World Cup, and in the process, also win the ICC Champions Trophy within just 6 months of his appointment.
However, he also suffered several significant setbacks early in his career, be it the ODI series loss to Sri Lanka soon after his appointment or the humiliating 3–1 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. There came a phase in his career as a coach when the Indian fans rebelled against him after India’s heavy defeats against South Africa and New Zealand in Tests and ODIs respectively.
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“Finally, I have to thank Jai Shah. Jai bhai, as I also said in yesterday’s press conference, has supported me through the bad times of my tenure. Be it BGT, South Africa or the New Zealand series, not many people call you when you lose, but this one person who called every time, if not after a win or after a loss, was Jai bhai,” Gautam Gambhir thanked the former BCCI secretary for his unwavering support.
Gautam Gambhir was appointed the head coach of Team India despite his inexperience.
The Indian head coach, who now has immense experience in national coaching and has won two international trophies during his tenure, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Jay Shah for trusting him with such a big role even though he had never coached any team or franchise before.
“Most importantly I want to thank him for trusting me. When I was offered this position, I could understand that no one had that much trust in me, because I had never been the head coach of any team till then.”
Gambhir said, “I had never coached domestic cricket nor had I been the head coach of any franchise; yet, he trusted me with this job where there were so many expectations. I have to give it to him.”
“I have said it before: When these types of people are part of the Indian set-up or around Indian cricket, Indian cricket will always be in very safe hands. People who are in important positions, if they work honestly, we don’t have to worry.”
Gambhir further said, “The changes that can happen in 2 years can also happen within a year or six months. So, I think he should be one of the people who should be given credit for this World Cup win.”
Gautam Gambhir has become the first coach to win two consecutive ICC tournaments
The Indian head coach was crowned as the first national head coach to win two consecutive ICC tournaments. They won the last ICC tournament, which is the ICC Champions Trophy and now have won the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Gambhir has proved to be a sore spot for Team India in red-ball cricket, but his white-ball antics have also benefited them from time to time. His next biggest task with the Indian team could focus on building the squad for the ICC World Cup 2027.
However, India’s chances at WTC 2027 are far from over, and with many more Test bilateral matches lined up in the upcoming year, Gautam Gambhir could turn this to his advantage.
Also read: Gautam Gambhir gives big update on India’s 2027 World Cup plans
