Passing the baton: Dravid shares special message for Gambhir as Team India kickstarts new era

PALLEKELE: As Team India prepares to kickstart a new era under the head coach Gautam Gambhir, former Indian coach Rahul Dravid, who vacated the job after a dream run at ICC T20 World Cup last month, had a wholesome message for his successor, lauding him for his passion for the sport and making him aware of the challenges he could encounter as a coach.

India's tour of Sri Lanka begins with the first T20I on Saturday and consists of three T20Is and three ODIs each. Gill will be the deputy to Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma in the short format and 50-overs, respectively.

This is Gambhir's first assignment as head coach after being appointed to the position earlier in July after Rahul Dravid vacated the post following the ICC T20 World Cup win in the West Indies.

In a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Dravid delivered a special message for Gambhir via an audio file, noting how he had a dream end to his stint as a coach and wished Gambhir to experience the same at the end of his tenure.

"Passing on the baton with class and grace! To, Gautam Gambhir From, Rahul Dravid #TeamIndia | #SLvIND | @GautamGambhir," tweeted BCCI.

Dravid also jokingly remarked that he hopes Gambhir will have a squad full of fully fit, first-choice players available every time, a privilege Dravid could not enjoy during the ICC T20 World Cup 2022, the ICC World Test Championship final 2023 and the 50-over World Cup at home last year.

He termed the job as Indian head coach as the "most exciting one".

"Hello, Gautam, and welcome to the most exciting job in our world as coach of the Indian cricket team. It's been three weeks since I ended my stint with the Indian team in a manner that was beyond my dreams. Both in Barbados and then a few days later in that unforgettable evening in Mumbai. More than anything else, I will treasure the memories and friendships I made in my time with the squad. As you take over the role of India coach, it is what I wish for you as well," said Dravid. "I also hope that you will have the availability of fully fit players in every squad. Good luck with that. I also wish you a little bit of luck, as you know that all of us coaches need to make us look that little bit wiser and smarter than we actually are," he added.

Dravid said that as a teammate for Team India and sometimes as a rival in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he was able to witness Gambhir's "resilience and refusal to surrender" and his strong passion for winning.

He also noted how Gambhir liked working with younger players and bringing the best out of them. "I know how dedicated and passionate you are about Indian cricket and I'm sure you will bring all these qualities into this new job," he added.

Dravid told Gambhir that expectations will be sky high and scrutiny will be intense, but during the worst of the times, his team of players, support staff, legends of the sport and the highly demanding and passionate fans will always have his back. "From one Indian cricket coach to another, one last thing.

In the most heated of times, exhale, take a step back and even if it's difficult for you, crack a smile. Whatever else happens, that will shock people. I wish you the very best Gautam and I am sure you will take the Indian team to even greater heights," concluded Dravid.

Reacting to the video, Gambhir said that he does not know how to react as this message is coming from someone who he looked up to as a player. He called Dravid as the "most selfless player" he has worked with.

"Rahul Bhai has done anything and everything that Indian cricket needs. So I think there is so much to learn from, not only for me, but for the next generation and for the current generation as well, that how important Indian cricket is.

Not me, not individuals, but what Indian cricket is. And I feel, I think, I do not get too much emotional normally, but I think this message actually made me a lot emotional, which normally I shouldn't, but it is a great message.

Hopefully I can, these are massive shoes to fill. Hopefully I can do it with absolute honesty, transparency, and hopefully I can make the entire nation and more importantly the person who I have always looked up to, Rahul Bhai, proud," he concluded. India's tour of Sri Lanka will kick- off with a three-match T20I series, followed by a three-match ODI series.

The Pallekele International Stadium will be hosting the T20I leg of the series while the R Premadasa is getting to host the 50-over matches. The three ODIs will be held on August 2, August 4, and August 7. Both teams will be taking to the field with new head coaches.

While legendary all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya has been named as the interim head coach for Lankan Lions, this will also be the first assignment for former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir as the head coach, succeeding the T20 World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid.

India's last tour of Sri Lanka for a bilateral white-ball series came back in July 2021, with Dravid coaching the Shikhar Dhawan-led side. India won the ODI series 2-1, while Sri Lanka secured the T20I series by the same margin.

T20I Squad for Sri Lanka series: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.

ODI Squad for Sri Lanka series: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.