Gautam Gambhir's appointment as India's new head coach means that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won't have their most influential figure, who won them three Indian Premier League titles, in their ranks for the next season; and reports suggest that the KKR management is already on the lookout for Gambhir's replacement.
According to a report in The Telegraph, one of the frontrunners to replace Gambhir as KKR's mentor is South African great and the franchise's former coach Jacques Kallis. While Chandrakant Pandit is certain to remain the team's head coach, Kallis's appointment may see him performing the same role as Gambhir.
"The franchise is also on the lookout for a replacement for Gambhir, who was key to its third IPL crown this year. The name of legendary South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who had coached KKR in 2019, is also doing the rounds," said the report.
Interestingly, Kallis was part of Kolkata's IPL title-winning teams of 2012 and 2014, when Gambhir was the team's captain. Following his retirement in 2014, Kallis joined KKR as batting consultant in 2015, followed by his appointment as the team's coach when Trevor Bayliss left. He remained with KKR until 2019 and then joined the South African team as batting consultant.
KKR's need for fresh appointments may not be limited to Gambhir. According to reports, KKR's batting consultant Abhishek Nayar is also in the running to join Gambhir's support staff with Team India as assistant coach most likely.
Gambhir, meanwhile, will begin his stint as India's head coach with the tour of Sri Lanka. The former India opener replaced Rahul Dravid in the position.
Dravid's coaching tenure with the Indian team ended following the triumphant T20 World Cup campaign last month.
The appointment of double World Cup-winner Gambhir makes him the youngest ever coach of the Indian team at the age of 42.
