Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir turned 45 on Wednesday, with former teammates Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina extending birthday wishes to him. With India leading the five-match series 2-1, a win would seal the series for the hosts. Gambhir, who took charge as head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team in July 2024, has guided the side to titles in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, the 2025 ACC Men’s Asia Cup and the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Gambhir will spend his 45th birthday on duty as he looks to guide India to victory against West Indies in the fourth T20I in Hyderabad later today.
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir turned 45 on Wednesday, with former teammates Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina extending birthday wishes to him.
From his international debut in 2003 until his retirement in 2016, Gambhir represented India in 58 Tests, scoring 4,154 runs at an average of 41.95, including nine centuries and 22 fifties in 104 innings, with a highest score of 206. 1-ranked Test batter in the world, Gambhir enjoyed a remarkable run during 2008-09. Across 13 Tests, he scored 1,861 runs at an average of 77.54 in 25 innings, registering seven centuries and seven fifties, which earned him the ICC Test Player of the Year award in 2009. His marathon 137 off 436 balls against New Zealand in Napier, which helped India save the Test and secure a 1-0 series victory, remains one of the finest innings played by an Indian batter in overseas conditions. Gambhir was also at his peak during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, finishing as India’s second-highest run-scorer and the tournament’s sixth-highest overall, with 393 runs in nine innings at an average of 43.66. He scored four fifties, including a crucial 97 off 122 balls against Sri Lanka in the final, helping India chase down a target of 275 at a packed Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and end the country’s 28-year wait for a World Cup title.
During his playing days, Gambhir was known for delivering memorable performances, especially in challenging situations. One of India’s most prolific opening batters, he partnered Virender Sehwag to trouble bowlers at the top of the order. Once the No. His mud-stained jersey from that innings remains a symbol of his determination and never-say-die attitude.
