New Delhi: India’s cricket board named Gautam Gambhir as head coach on Tuesday, with the former opener taking over from Rahul Dravid, tasked with building on their recent World Cup triumph.

Gambhir said it was “an absolute honour” to take India’s top cricketing job.

“I have always taken pride while donning the Indian jersey during my playing days, and it is going to be no different when I take up this new role,” Gambhir said in a statement.

The 42-year-old Gambhir takes over from batting great Dravid, who finished his stint with the T20 World Cup title in Barbados last month.

Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) called Gambhir a “fierce competitor and a brilliant strategist”, and said he had been “unanimously” chosen to be the head coach.

Gambhir scored over 10,000 international runs during his 13-year-long international career for India since his ODI debut in 2003.

“We believe he will bring the same tenacity and leadership to his role as head coach,” Shah said, adding Gambhir “will bring out the best in our players”.

He is the only Indian — and one of four international cricketers including Don Bradman, Jacques Kallis and Mohammad Yousuf — to have scored centuries in five successive Test matches.

“Modern-day cricket has evolved rapidly, and Gautam has witnessed this changing landscape up close,” Shah added.