Here's Gautam Gambhir's first tweet as a political leader after joining the BJP

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir on Friday began a new innings, away from cricket, as he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls 2019.

The 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup winning captain joined the party in the presence of Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Hours after he plunged into politics, the cricketer-turned-politician took to Twitter and posted a message, wherein he reiterated his commitment to work for the country.

"I have joined BJP to serve the country with right intent and honesty. I hope through this I can make some meaningful difference to the lives of my people," his social media post read.

Earlier in the day, after he was announced as part of the BJP, Gambhir exclaimed he was proud to join the party and work under the leadership and vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I have been influenced by the PM, his vision for the country. This is a fabulous platform for me to do something for the country," said the decorated cricketer who scored over 10,000 international runs.

WATCH: Full BJP Briefing As Gautam Gambhir Is Inducted Into The Party By Arun Jaitley And Ravi Shankar Prasad

Him entering the politics did not come as much of a surprise, given during his exclusive interview with Republic Media's editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, he had expressed his willingness should the people want him to do so.

"If people think that I'm good enough, and if I believe that I can make a change in this country, and if I feel that strongly and if I have the energy, I will definitely do something for the country to make it a better place. I will make sure that I do everything possible in my own capacity, and if you all (people of this country) believe that I should get into it (politics), I'll definitely give it a thought," responded Gambhir when asked if he should begin a political career.