New Delhi: Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer has questioned how head coach Gautam Gambhir and the Indian team management handled Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammed Shami, saying some players could have received better treatment during the coach’s tenure.
Jaffer’s comments come as Gambhir’s record as India head coach continues to attract both praise and criticism.
Gambhir has overseen significant success in white-ball cricket, guiding India to the Champions Trophy in 2025 and the T20 World Cup in 2026. However, his tenure has also included disappointing Test results, most notably India’s home series defeats against New Zealand and South Africa. Jaffer believes those setbacks, along with the manner in which certain players were handled, will remain important talking points when Gambhir’s tenure is assessed.
Jaffer’s criticism was not centred on former captains Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. Instead, he highlighted Suryakumar and Shami as two players whose exits from India’s white-ball plans, according to him, could have been managed more effectively.
Jaffer highlights Suryakumar and Shami
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Jaffer said some individuals could have received better treatment under the current management.
He specifically pointed to Suryakumar, who was removed from the T20I captaincy and India’s immediate leadership plans after India’s 2026 T20 World Cup triumph. Jaffer also mentioned Shami while discussing players whose treatment could have been handled differently.
The former India opener did not suggest that Gambhir should be blamed for every decision taken by the team management. Instead, his comments focused on the manner in which established players were dealt with during a period of transition.
“Some individuals could have gotten better treatment, like Surya, who was axed after winning the (T20) World Cup. There are other players as well, like Shami. Some things could have been better,” Jaffer said, according to the NDTV report.
Jaffer nevertheless gave Gambhir credit for India’s white-ball achievements, indicating that he did not believe the coach deserved widespread criticism in that format.
Suryakumar’s post-World Cup situation
Suryakumar Yadav’s case is particularly interesting because of what he had achieved before his removal from the leadership group.
Suryakumar had been an important part of India’s T20 setup and had taken over as the team’s T20I captain during the transition following Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the shortest format. Under his leadership, India continued to develop an aggressive approach in T20 cricket.
His position changed after the 2026 T20 World Cup, however, when the team management moved towards a different leadership structure.
The decision became a talking point because Suryakumar had been associated with India’s successful T20 campaign. Jaffer’s argument is that a player who had contributed to a World Cup-winning side deserved a more carefully managed transition.
That does not necessarily mean the management’s cricketing decision was wrong. Coaches and selectors have to make difficult calls based on future plans, player roles, workload and team balance. But the way those decisions are communicated can have an impact on the players involved.
Shami’s situation also highlighted
Jaffer also brought Mohammed Shami into the discussion.
Shami remains one of India’s most accomplished fast bowlers, particularly in ODI cricket, but his availability and role have been affected by fitness concerns, workload management and India’s changing plans across formats.
The veteran pacer has played a major role in India’s success over the past decade, including important performances in ICC tournaments.
However, as India have moved towards a younger white-ball group, the management has had to make decisions about the balance between experience and long-term planning.
Jaffer’s comments suggest that, regardless of the cricketing reasoning behind such decisions, there may have been scope for better communication and handling of senior players.
Gambhir’s white-ball record remains strong
Despite the criticism, Gambhir’s record in white-ball cricket provides a strong counterpoint.
Under his leadership, India won the Champions Trophy in 2025 and then added another major ICC trophy by winning the 2026 T20 World Cup. Those achievements represent significant success, particularly given the pressure surrounding the Indian team after the retirement of several senior players from T20 cricket.
Jaffer acknowledged this broader success while making his comments.
According to him, the biggest concerns surrounding Gambhir’s tenure are not necessarily related to India’s white-ball results. Instead, the former batter believes the coach’s handling of some players and India’s poor Test performances are the areas that deserve greater scrutiny.
This distinction is important because coaching appointments are often judged differently across formats.
A coach can enjoy considerable success in limited-overs cricket while facing questions about Test preparation, selection or strategy.
Home Test defeats remain a major concern
Jaffer described India’s Test defeats against New Zealand and South Africa as the biggest stains on Gambhir’s coaching record.
India’s 0-3 defeat to New Zealand in October and November 2024 was particularly damaging. It ended India’s 12-year unbeaten home series run in Test cricket.
The result was a major shock because India had built an exceptionally strong record at home over more than a decade.
New Zealand’s victory therefore represented a historic reversal and placed considerable pressure on the Indian Test setup.
India subsequently suffered another home setback against South Africa, losing the series 0-2. That result further affected India’s position in the World Test Championship cycle.
Jaffer believes these results will remain attached to Gambhir’s record, regardless of what happens in India’s future campaigns.
WTC consequences added to pressure
The Test defeats had consequences beyond individual series results.
India’s World Test Championship campaign was affected by the losses, reducing the team’s margin for error in the race for a place in the final.
Jaffer argued that India could have been in a much stronger position in the WTC standings had they avoided those home defeats.
The former batter also stressed that responsibility does not rest solely with the coach.
He pointed out that the captain and players also carry responsibility for the team’s results. That is an important distinction because Test cricket is dependent on performance over five days, with coaches unable to directly influence every passage of play.
India’s transition makes selection difficult
The questions around Suryakumar and Shami also come at a time when Indian cricket is undergoing a significant transition.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have moved away from the Test and T20I setup, leaving a new generation to take greater responsibility.
Shubman Gill has emerged as India’s Test captain, while younger players have increasingly been given opportunities across formats.
This transition inevitably creates difficult decisions for the management.
Experienced players can provide stability, but younger cricketers need opportunities to develop. The challenge for the coaching and selection staff is to determine when a player should be retained, rested, replaced or moved into a different role.
The handling of such decisions can become almost as important as the decisions themselves.
Why player management matters
Modern international cricket places enormous demands on players.
Cricketers travel extensively, play multiple formats and face constant scrutiny from fans and the media. Senior players can also have strong relationships within a dressing room and considerable influence on younger teammates.
When a major player is removed from a leadership role or dropped from a format, communication becomes crucial.
A decision that is explained clearly can be accepted even if the player disagrees with it. Conversely, a decision perceived as abrupt can create unnecessary controversy.
Jaffer’s comments appear to focus on this aspect of team management rather than simply questioning the cricketing merit of individual selections.
Gambhir’s challenging balancing act
Gambhir inherited an Indian team undergoing major change.
The transition from the Kohli-Rohit era required new leaders and new combinations. At the same time, India remained under pressure to win major tournaments and maintain its position among the world’s leading cricket teams.
His successful Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup campaigns demonstrate that the management has been able to deliver results in white-ball cricket. But the Test defeats show that the transition has not been equally smooth across formats.
That contrast explains why opinions about Gambhir remain divided.
Supporters can point to two major ICC trophies, while critics can point to the Test setbacks and some controversial personnel decisions.
Jaffer’s broader assessment
Jaffer did not dismiss Gambhir’s achievements.
Instead, his assessment was relatively balanced. He credited the coach for India’s white-ball performances but identified areas where the management could have done better.
He also made it clear that the Test failures should not be attributed to Gambhir alone.
“The mark of those two whitewash series will always be on him, without a doubt. Not just on his CV, but also on the captain and other players,” Jaffer said.
That comment reflects the collective nature of Test cricket.
A coach can establish tactics and preparation plans, but players ultimately have to execute them in the middle. Captains also make decisions that can change the course of a match.
What lies ahead for Gambhir and India
The coming months will provide another test for India’s coaching structure.
The team has already begun building towards the next generation of international cricket, with Shubman Gill among the key figures in the Test setup.
India’s future success will depend not only on the emergence of new stars but also on how the management handles experienced players, workload and transitions.
The Suryakumar and Shami situations may therefore become part of a larger discussion about how India manages senior cricketers during periods of change.
For Gambhir, continued success in white-ball cricket could strengthen his position, while improved Test performances would help address one of the major criticisms surrounding his tenure.
Conclusion
Wasim Jaffer’s comments have added another layer to the debate surrounding Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India’s head coach. Rather than focusing on Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma, Jaffer singled out Suryakumar Yadav and Mohammed Shami, arguing that the treatment of some players could have been better.
At the same time, Jaffer acknowledged Gambhir’s success in white-ball cricket, with India winning the Champions Trophy in 2025 and the T20 World Cup in 2026 under his tenure. His main concerns relate to India’s Test performances and the handling of certain players.
The criticism highlights the difficult balance facing any Indian team management: planning for the future while respecting the contributions of established players. As India continue their transition into a new era, how Gambhir and the selectors communicate and manage those decisions could be just as important as the selections themselves.