On July 9 last year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed Gautam Gambhir as the head coach. His contract with the board runs until December 2027. Gambhir’s record of achievements as the coach of Rohit-Kohli has both successes and failures.
However, India’s victory in the recently concluded Champions Trophy has almost covered Gambhir’s failures. Bringing the country a global title in just eight months of taking charge is no small feat!
The 43-year-old Gambhir won the 2007 T20 and 2011 ODI World Cups as a player for India. This time, he won the Champions Trophy as a coach. Very few people have the feat of winning global trophies in both the player and coach roles. After bringing new success to India, Gautam Gambhir is back in the discussion in the cricket world, especially his salary and other benefits provided by the BCCI. Indian business website Ascendants has tried to satisfy the interest of cricket fans. According to their report, Gambhir’s estimated annual salary is more than Rs 14 crore, which makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in the world. Before Gambhir, Rahul Dravid was the head coach of India. Dravid used to earn Rs 12 crore annually.
In addition to the hefty salary, Gambhir receives a daily allowance of Rs 21,000 during foreign tours. The BCCI also pays for business class air tickets, accommodation in luxury hotels, and laundry expenses. There are other logistical benefits.
These benefits are part of the BCCI’s strategy. Through this, they attract and retain high-caliber coaching talents. Apart from that, the board feels that by giving such facilities to Gambhir and his assistants, they will only focus on the team’s performance. Multiple sources told Ascendants that the BCCI’s contract with Gautam Gambhir also mentions performance-based bonuses. The bonuses are linked to the team’s success in major tournaments like the 2025 Champions Trophy, 2026 T20 World Cup and 2027 ODI World Cup. The contract states that if India under Gambhir can win any of these tournaments, then they will get a huge bonus. With India winning the Champions Trophy, the BCCI may soon announce bonuses for Gambhir and his support staff.
Cricket analysts have praised Gambhir’s tactical skills, especially in developing young talents and keeping players’ nerves in big matches. An example of tactical skills can be mentioned in the Champions Trophy.
India played all their matches in Dubai and most of them were played on used wickets. Dubai also hosted many International League T20 matches a few days before the start of the Champions Trophy.
Because of this, Gambhir felt that as the day progressed, the pitch there would slow down and would be more conducive to spin. So, he dropped batsman Yashaswi Jaiswal from the preliminary team and included the mysterious spinner Varun Chakravarty in the final squad. It was Varun who became Gambhir’s trump card in the latter part of the tournament and contributed greatly to India winning the title.
