India have appointed former opening batter Gautam Gambhir as their new head coach.

Gambhir succeeds former team-mate Rahul Dravid, who stood down after his contract expired following India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign.

The 42-year-old’s most recent role was at Kolkata Knight Riders, who he led to the Indian Premier League title in May.

“India is my identity and serving my country has been the greatest privilege of my life. I’m honoured to be back, albeit wearing a different hat,” Gambhir said on X., external

“But my goal is the same as it has always been, to make every Indian proud.”

Gambhir made his India debut in 2003 and went on to score more than 10,000 runs across all formats before retiring in 2016.

He moved into commentary and then politics before taking up coaching with Kolkata.

“Having endured the grind and excelled in various roles throughout his career, I am confident that Gautam is the ideal person to steer Indian Cricket forward,” said BCCI secretary Jay Shah.

“His clear vision for Team India, coupled with his vast experience, positions him perfectly to take on this exciting and most sought-after coaching role.”

Gambhir’s first series in charge will be a white-ball tour of Sri Lanka later this month.

India beat South Africa in the T20 World Cup final in June to end their 13-year wait for a world title.