Gautam Gambhir Labelled 'Villain' By Former RCB Captain

RCB great calls Gambhir a villain [Source: AFP]

Gautam Gambhir’s journey with Indian cricket as head coach has been anything but straightforward, marked by some bold calls and intense scrutiny from fans and experts. Much like his approach during his playing days, Gambhir has remained unwavering in his methods, rarely shying away from taking firm stands.

Despite coping a loud outside noise surrounding his coaching tenure, the former Indian opener has won two prestigious ICC trophies to underline his impact for Team India in grand stages.

Such an uncompromising and no-nonsense mindset has often seen him labelled a “villain” by his opponents, at least according to former South Africa captain and RCB legend Faf du Plessis.

Faf du Plessis says Gambhir a “villain” for opponents

Former RCB and CSK opener Faf du Plessis has heaped a significant praise on India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir just a few weeks after he led the Indian team to a remarkable 2026 T20 World Cup win. While speaking on JioStar, Faf admired Gambhir’s competitive nature, both as a player and as a coach.

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The former South Africa captain added that Gambhir is “always the villain” for his opponents and he does not concern himself with others’ validation.

Faf du Plessis said “My perspective of Gambhir is obviously very different from the guys that have played with him. He is always the villain in the story when it comes to playing against him. But you respect that. He is so competitive. He doesn't worry for one second to be liked by anyone.”

Gautam Gambhir sets higher standards for team, believes Faf

Faf du Plessis further stated that Gautam Gambhir often sets high standards for his teams, either as a coach or a mentor. He also believes that under him, KKR became a stronger side in the IPL.

He added “You can see it in the way he talks to the team; he sets a standard and believes if you drop in your stand, I will be on your case. That's what good leaders do. They don't slip in those standards. He has created that since his playing days, if you look at his record, you have to take your hat off and say, from a leadership perspective, KKR with him, was a stronger side.”

Gambhir’s record as coach and mentor

Gautam Gambhir, a central figure in India’s 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 World Cup wins as a top-order batter, was appointed as Team India head coach in mid-2024. Notably, the former Indian opener was named national coach shortly after guiding the KKR franchise to its first-ever IPL win in over a decade.

Under his coaching tenure, Team India won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai, and also lifted the 2025 Men’s T20 Asia Cup later in the year at the same venue by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan thrice in the space of a month. Last month, the ‘Men in Blue’ also successfully defended their T20 World Cup title by crushing New Zealand in a lop-sided final at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.

Gambhir’s record as Test coach, however, has already drawn sharp criticism from several Indian fans and experts. Under his guidance, Team India suffered a historic 0-3 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand at home in late-2024. The Indian team also lost its Border-Gavaskar title to Australia for the first time in over a decade by losing the 2024-25 series by a 1-3 margin.

Late last year, WTC winners South Africa crushed India in a two-match Test series. With Team India reaching the brink of yet another WTC failure, scrutiny around Gautam Gambhir’s role in the Test setup has only intensified.

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