Coach Gautam Gambhir isn’t ready to accept that the current Indian team is unable to turn heads.
When it comes to Gautam Gambhir’s reputation as the head coach of the Indian cricket team, he is a debatable figure. Gambhir already had a polarizing reputation from his regular career as a player of the Indian team. After taking up the mantle of head coach, he is starting to draw more and more criticism over his tactics. His aggressive approach and furious backing of younger talent aren’t always the most pleasing strategies for other experts and fans.
The general consensus that people have is that Gambhir does not want to focus on longer formats. India’s performance in test cricket is something that brings deep regret among the fans. As such, experts have been bashing Gambhir for ignoring the steady decline of the Indian team in test cricket. In spite of that, Gautam Gambhir thinks that the losses that the Indian team suffered were just a rough patch in their overall glory. In his latest statement, his stance was rather unshakeable, with his core belief being that the Indian team is in peak form currently.
Perhaps he is being slightly narrow-minded about what being the best means
To defend himself and his methods of coaching the Indian team, Gautam Gambhir readily pulls out the biggest weapon in his arsenal. When he was assigned as the head coach of the team in 2024, he immediately had to take on the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy with Team India.
The entire tournament became a golden opportunity for India to showcase its prowess in cricket. India remained undefeated throughout the championship en route to the Champions Trophy. They became the only team to win the title three times in history.
Using that success as an example, Gambhir retorts,
“Which team in the history of sport has gone undefeated from one World Cup to the next and then gone on to win the World Cup? It didn't take these guys 17 years to win a second World Cup. It took them only 17 months to win a third World Cup. Suddenly, one bad series or three bad games here and there do not make them bad players or make us a bad side.”
While this sounds like a sound excuse on paper, the reality might be slightly different from what Gambhir is imagining currently. The Indian Premier League and its scale have grown exponentially over the years. Finding talent and utilizing it has become easier for the team management. So it’s not like India is lacking any talent.
Winning back-to-back championships is a huge deal and a clear cause for celebration. But to lose a test series for the first time in a decade in a whitewash against England and to claim only two victories in the legacy format of cricket is equally embarrassing. Gambhir needs to back up his claims with real success in test matches against strong opponents. Only then can he redeem himself in the eyes of the fans.
