Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said it is not about the coach but Indian cricket that won the four World Cups for the country.
Manjrekar’s statement comes at a time when Gautam Gambhir assumed the duties of India head coach for the Sri Lanka tour after the end of Rahul Dravid’s tenure.
Under Dravid’s mentorship, India lifted the T20 World Cup 2024 title in Barbados and ended their 11-year-long ICC title drought. India also came close on two occasions previously when they lost in the World Test Championship final and ODI World Cup final against Australia last year.
“No coach, Lalchand Rajput, Gary Kirsten & Dravid. Coaches when India won WCs in 1983, 2007, 2011 & 2023. It’s really about Indian cricket, not who the coach is. Time we stop thinking there is a direct correlation,” Manjrekar wrote on X.
Gambhir’s first coaching assignment will begin in Sri Lanka later in the day as Suryakumar Yadav-led India will take on hosts in the first T20I of the three-match series in Pallekele.