Gautam Gambhir is India's head coach | PC- AFP
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has completed two years on the job with the Indian national cricket team.
The former India captain and Test opener succeeded Rahul Dravid after India’s triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup, as India’s head coach across all formats.
With Gambhir at the helm, the Men in Blue have lifted two ICC trophies on the trot, but the Indian side has faced some shambolic defeats, such as whitewashes in home Test series against New Zealand & South Africa, and T20I series defeats vs Ireland & England.
Mohammad Kaif, Zaheer Khan rate Gautam Gambhir's tenure as head coach
Gautam Gambhir's former colleagues, Mohammad Kaif and Zaheer Khan, have rated the Indian head coach's tenure.
The former right-handed batter seemed like a hard taskmaster, giving Gambhir just passing marks and rating his tenure 4/10. Meanwhile, the legendary left-arm quick rated the tenure 6/10, as he won ICC titles as coach.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma Gets Clear Message From Gautam Gambhir For 2027 World Cup
While criticising the Indian head coach, Kaif advised Gambhir to build stronger bonds with his players, especially the seniors like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Sanju Samson, emphasising the importance of transparency in building a team for the 2027 World Cup on the African continent.
On the flip side, Zaheer backed the former batter, as India have won major tournaments during Gambhir’s tenure, but urged his former teammate to have better transparency, communication, and stability with the players.
Team India's recent struggles under Gautam Gambhir
As Gautam Gambhir gets the credit for India's triumph in the 2026 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, he should share blame for Team India’s poor performance. Under his coaching, India lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka and New Zealand, while they were whitewashed in Tests by the Kiwis and the Proteas.
Recently, the Men in Blue faced an all-time low as they lost their first-ever T20I series against Ireland and England. While Team India’s focus is mainly on ODIs, the poor results in the shortest format can’t be ignored, especially after lifting back-to-back T20 World Cups.
Gambhir's mantra helped India win 1st ODI vs ENG
Nevertheless, India started the ODI series vs England with a bang, winning the Edgbaston fixture with ease. The bowlers laid the foundation of the victory and bowled out the hosts for 258 runs, but the batters remained the stars of the show.
Chasing it, the Men in Blue lost two wickets inside the powerplay, but Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer calmed the storm. An unforeseen injury to the Indian skipper, followed by two quick scalps, turned the tide against India.
However, Gambhir’s mantra of backing all-rounders helped, as Axar Patel and Washington Sundar took the team home.
The team has travelled to Cardiff for the IND vs ENG 2nd ODI at Sophia Gardens on Thursday, before heading to Lord’s for the final fixture scheduled for Sunday.
Also Read: Shubman Gill Nears No. 1 Spot; Joe Root, Axar Patel Gain Big In ICC ODI Rankings
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