For months, Gautam Gambhir has been portrayed as this villain of Indian cricket whose job seems to be masterminding the exits of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Be it their decision to retire from Test cricket or the decision to make it mandatory for them to play domestic cricket, the Indian head coach has been blamed for everything that’s gone wrong in Indian cricket.
The recent string of poor results in Tests and ODIs notwithstanding, the buck seems to stop with one notion: Gambhir wants Kohli and Rohit out of the Indian team.
In the past, Gambhir has always addressed Rohit and Kohli with one take: ‘The 2027 World Cup is two years down the line’. No one’s a guarantee. But while this applies to everyone, trolls and haters online have only joined the dots as they see fit. Hence, speaking for the first time, Gambhir indirectly confronted the matter and said a lot without taking names.
“When the dust settles, truth & logic about a coach’s supposedly “unlimited authority” will become clear. Till then, I’m amused at being pitted against my own who are the very best,” Gambhir shared on X in reply to a post by Shashi Tharoor.
Come to think of it, what all has not been said about Gambhir? Things like ‘he would run Indian cricket down to the ground’, called the ‘worst coach since Greg Chappell’, are just a couple of examples. Don’t even get started on his social media memes, which make him the butt of all jokes. His unorthodox approaches and bizarre team combinations have rightly been questioned. Amid this storm, Congress MP Tharoor met his ‘friend’ and the man with the hardest job after the PM in India.
“In Nagpur, enjoyed a good & frank discussion with my old friend Gautam Gambhir, the man with the hardest job in India after the PM’s! He is being second-guessed by millions daily but stays calm &walks on undaunted. A word of appreciation for his quiet determination and able leadership. Wishing him all success – starting today,” he had posted moments before the start of the 1st T20I between India and New Zealand.
Gambhir’s media trial
The allegations against Gambhir are far too many. As per a PTI report, relations between Gambhir and former India captain Rohit Sharma were so tense that the two avoided each other during some practice sessions. In fact, Dainik Jagran reported a complete breakdown in communication between the two when the team toured Australia back in October for the ODIs. Others confidently believe that the equation between Gambhir and Kohli has changed drastically as well. The smiles and laughter have been replaced by very minimal talking, almost to the point and nothing more.
After the South Africa debacle in December, Gambhir remained adamant that he won’t be the one to willingly step down as India’s head coach, but that if the BCCI decides to make a decision, he would respect it. Amid rumours that the board was considering a red-ball special consultant, who was turned down by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, these are interesting times in Indian cricket. Under Gambhir, India may have won the Asia Cup and the Champions Trophy, an achievement the head coach ensured everyone remembered about, but the dipping performances in Tests remain a massive concern. With very few Test matches in 2026, Gambhir may have some breathing space, but if India’s T20 World Cup campaign falters, all hell promises to break loose.