Gautam Gambhir Turns India Captain In Front Of Shreyas Iyer As Ishan Kishan Watches

Gautam Gambhir on the field speaking with Shreyas Iyer and team [Source: X]

Gautam Gambhir has been the undeclared all-role performer for the Indian cricket team ever since he took the helm as the head coach of the Men in Blue. While his stint as a coach has yielded mixed results across all three formats, a constant fatherly imagery has always radiated from him.

Similarly, in the India vs England 2nd T20I match at Manchester, Gambhir was seen in an influential role where he schooled India captain Shreyas Iyer on the field.

Gautam Gambhir Takes Matters Into His Own Hands

India had a poor outing on July 4 as they lost to England by four wickets, courtesy of a poor bowling unit that failed to defend a solid 190 on board. 

As the team put up the total on the back of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and captain Shreyas Iyer himself, Gambhir, after the Ireland loss, was apparently charged up to secure the victory against England.

Consequently, he went out himself into the field ahead of the chase to instruct the players himself on fielding positions and strategies to contain the hosts at their home ground.

Gambhir Schools Captain Shreyas Iyer On Field

As the Indian cricket team took the field to defend the total, they started with control by sending back the openers inside the very first over, thanks to Arshdeep Singh’s fiery bowling. 

However, things didn’t go smoothly after that. England reached 91/2 quickly ahead of the first drinks break, and the momentum gained by the hosts wasn't liked by Gautam Gambhir. 

Taking matters into his own hands, the head coach himself entered the field to address Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan as the players were taking a water break. 

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Jul 5, 2026, 10:00 AM

Gambhir marched in and was seen instructing Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan on the field placements and the strategies to implement in an animated chat. 

Both Shreyas and Ishan were mere spectators, with Gambhir aggressively pointing fingers towards the field to address the lapses made by the team.

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Shreyas Iyer Submits To Gambhir Despite Earlier Bravery Claims 

As Iyer was handed the captaincy stint of India, replacing Suryakumar Yadav for the Europe tour, he claimed that he doesn't want to be anyone’s shadow and follow instructions blindly. Iyer stressed that he wants to carry his own personality onto the cricket field.

“I’ve got a new responsibility now, but I don’t want to change my personality. I want to be the same person as I was before. I don’t want to be someone else or stay under someone’s shadow,” Iyer said as quoted by NDTV.

That claim was found to be null and void as Shreyas was clearly seen submitting to Gambhir in the video that was captured on camera. As Gambhir romped the team with instructions, Shreyas seemed helpless and followed the coach’s orders.

Is There A Possible Crack Between Gautam Gambhir And Shreyas Iyer?

While the video shared a view with Iyer on the sidelines and Gambhir taking charge as a pseudo-captain on the field, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the two work on totally different principles and ideologies about cricket. 

While dressing room bonds cannot be confirmed between Shreyas and Gambhir, it is very unlikely that there is a possible beef between the two. 

The video might simply suggest the possibility of Gautam Gambhir getting real-time feed about statistics and analytics, and was trying to help out team India by instructing the wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan.

Also Read- Shreyas Iyer Issues Statement On Vaibhav Sooryavanshi After Failed Debut