What does Gautam Gambhir's appointment as India coach mean for Virat Kohli and team?

Former opener takes over from Rahul Dravid as team enters transition phase

Gautam Gambhir will now work with Rohit Sharma in the India team after being named the national team's coach. AFP

Former India opener, two-time World Cup winner and IPL stalwart Gautam Gambhir was on Tuesday appointed as coach of the senior men's team, marking the beginning of a new era in Indian cricket.

Gambhir's appointment was a formality after the Indian cricket board expressed their interest in him following a remarkably successful stint at Kolkata Knight Riders. As mentor, Gambhir guided the team to the Indian Premier League title this summer having also won the title twice as captain.

Gambhir became the top candidate for the job after Rahul Dravid's tenure was extended until the T20 World Cup earlier this year as the board searched for a replacement.

The hunt was made complicated by the fact that many high-profile coaches are already employed in the IPL. Few are ready to give up lucrative positions in franchise cricket that only require a few months of their time each year, unlike the national team job that involves extensive travel all year round.

That narrowed the pool of candidates down to a handful. And it was clear that the management were looking for a local name with good credentials.

Gambhir was top of that list but had formed an excellent working relation with KKR management and its owners. However, the BCCI have managed to bring Gambhir on board, giving him extensive powers to guide the next set of Indian cricketers.

What happens to senior players?

The transition phase has started in Indian cricket. After their T20 World Cup win in Barbados, captain Rohit Sharma, star batsman Virat Kohli and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirements from T20 Internationals.

The challengers for those vacant spots are currently participating in a five-match T20 series in Zimbabwe. It is in the longer formats, though, where the situation gets tricky.

BCCI secretary Jay Shah has announced that Rohit will captain the team in next year's Champions Trophy and the World Test Championship finals if India qualify.

Kohli has an impeccable record in 50 overs and Test cricket and looks good to carry on for a few more years. However, the two major tournaments next year could decide how much longer he is guaranteed a place in the team.

The frosty relations between Gambhir and Kohli also needs addressing. The two had clashed on the field previously in the IPL as players, and also when Gambhir was managing at Lucknow Super Giants.

However, they patched things up this year and hugged it out on the field during the IPL, drawing a line under their acrimonious past.

The other senior players of the team could find themselves under more scrutiny. Fast bowler and 2023 ODI World Cup star Mohammad Shami, 33, has been on the sidelines this year after undergoing foot surgery. Jadeja, 35, has challengers for his spot in the ODI team, particularly from Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.

Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin have been superb in home conditions in Test cricket but are inching closer to the end of their careers, which means the next in line need to be blooded in sooner rather than later.

With at least one ICC event every year, India will have to act quickly to put up competitive teams in each format, especially because it is almost certain that there will be separate squads going forward.

Next generation

It is Gambhir's work with local players at KKR and his grasp over grassroots cricket that made him the top target for the India job. At Kolkata, Gambhir helped to get the best out of bowlers such as Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy and also saw young batsman Angkrish Raghuvanshi show promise. Also, it was under Gambhir that previously misfiring West Indies all-rounder Sunil Narine enjoyed his best season this year, both with bat and ball.

Dashing openers like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma should expect to be central to the plans of Gambhir in white-ball cricket.

Others could be brought back into the fold. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, who have found themselves slipping away from public memory, could form the core of the longer format teams.

Gambhir is said to have a particular liking for low profile but hardworking players, much like he himself was during his playing days. That is set to be reflected in the squads India select from now on.