No Coaching Duty for Gambhir!

India head coach Gautam Gambhir enjoyed time off with his family and watched his elder daughter Aazeen play tennis, saying he felt good watching a match without the stress and pressure of coaching.

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir spent quality time with his family and watched his elder daughter, Aazeen, play tennis as he mentioned he felt relaxed and enjoyed the match without the stress and pressure of coaching.

Gambhir shared a video on Facebook of him tying his daughter’s shoelaces and then sitting on the sidelines of the court at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA), watching his daughter play tennis.

In the video's caption, Gambhir wrote, “It’s good to see a match without coaching the player!”

After the T20 World Cup 2026 concluded on March 8, Gambhir had ample time off as Indian players joined their respective franchises for the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). With the cash-rich event now concluded and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lifting a second consecutive title on Sunday, the players will now shift their focus to national duty as Team India begin their preparations to take on Afghanistan in a one-off four-day Test, starting June 6.

Gambhir too will join the squad as the Shubman Gill-led side heads to New Chandigarh for the red-ball game. The two sides will then face off in three ODIs, starting June 13, as both teams begin their preparations for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, slated to take place next year. Notably, the tournament will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.

Gill will continue at the helm across both formats, with KL Rahul being appointed vice-captain for the one-off Test, and Shreyas Iyer returning to the ODI set-up as Gill’s deputy.

Jasprit Bumrah has been rested for the series, with India continuing to focus on his workload management after a busy few months of cricket. Senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who recently reiterated their commitment to playing in the Cricket World Cup 2027, have been picked for the ODI series, although Rohit and Hardik Pandya's participation will depend on fitness clearance from the BCCI.