India head coach Gautam Gambhir rushed home from England due to a family emergency, reportedly his mother’s cardiac arrest. He left ahead of the intra-squad match in Kent but is expected to return before the first Test.
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir left the squad in Kent and returned home due to a family emergency on June 12. Gambhir was with the entire Team India squad at Lord’s and Kent to oversee the team’s practice session ahead of the five-match Test series against England, starting on June 20.
India will play their opening match against England at Headingly, and the squad had a training session in Kent. Gambhir was with the squad from Day one of the team’s practice session in England, but the former India opener had to rush back home from Kent due to a personal emergency. Gautam Gambhir was not present during India’s practice session in Kent on Thursday, June 12.
A source close to BCCI informed ANI that Gautam Gambhir had to rush back home due to a family emergency.
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"Team India's head coach, Gautam Gambhir, is returning to India from England due to a family emergency."
Gautam Gambhir’s mother is in the ICU
The actual reason behind Gautam Gambhir's return home is uncertain, but as per the report by RevzSport, his mother, Seema Gambhir, suffered a cardiac arrest and has been admitted to a hospital in Delhi. Gambhir flew back as soon as he was informed about his mother’s heart attack and is currently with his family in Delhi. Reportedly, Gambhir’s mother is currently in an ICU after suffering from cardiac arrest.
Gambhir left the squad ahead of the four-day Intra-match between India and India A at Kent Cricket Ground. The practice will be overseen by batting coach Sitangshu Kotak and bowling coach Morne Morkel. Gambhir is likely to rejoin the squad ahead of India’s first Test against England at Headingley on June 20, Friday. Gautam Gambhir travelled with the India squad on the night of June 6, Friday, and touched down in London on Saturday, June 7.
Gautam Gambhir had a team huddle, where he welcomed Karun Nair, Arshdeep Singh, and Sai Sudharsan to the Test squad and gave a speech, emphasizing the importance of unity, discipline, and seizing the opportunity to perform on English soil. Team head coach reportedly prefers to have closed-door practice sessions in order to avoid England getting any tactical insights or footage of India's preparations ahead of the high-stakes Test series.
England Test series a big assignment for Gambhir
The upcoming Test series against England is a big assignment for head coach Gautam Gambhir as India is going through a transitional phase in red-ball cricket after the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin. Rohit and Kohli stepped away from the longest format of the game before the England Test tour, while Ashwin announced his international retirement in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after the Gabba Test ended in a draw.
Gautam Gambhir has a big task on hand to build and guide a relatively young Indian Test side through a challenging transition period. Gambhir is expected to guide newly-appointed Test captain Shubman Gill as he has taken over the reins during a crucial phase, with Rishabh Pant as his deputy for the England Tests.
After a series defeat against New Zealand and Australia, Team India, under the leadership of Gambhir and Gill, will be eager to script a strong comeback in England, aiming to lay a foundation for a new era of Indian Test cricket with a fresh core of emerging talents. The upcoming Test series against England will be the beginning of the new World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle for Team India. India failed to qualify for the WTC 2023-25 final after finishing third in the points table following their Border-Gavaskar Trophy defeat to Australia.
Moreover, Team India will aim for the first series win over England since 2007, when Rahul Dravid led the side to a historic 1-0 victory and set the tone for a new chapter in Indian red-ball cricket under the leadership of Shubman Gill and guidance of Gautam Gambhir.
