From Home Fortress to Testing Turmoil: Is Team India Stalling Under Gambhir?

Gautam Gambhir has never been a made for TV affable personality. Having watched him closely, both as a player and later as a coach during India’s Test tours of England, he always struck me as intensely self contained, almost reclusive in his demeanour. He rarely smiled, seldom celebrated, and did not easily slip into camaraderie with teammates. That was part of his persona, an inner steel that did not require outward warmth. But that same intensity seems to have carried into his role as coach of the Indian cricket team, and increasingly it feels as though players are intimidated by him rather than energised.

His appointment promised discipline, high standards and a no nonsense ethos. Yet the outcomes so far suggest something very different. India have now lost back to back home Test series to New Zealand and South Africa, an almost unthinkable decline for a side that built a decade of dominance on their mastery of subcontinental conditions. These defeats are not isolated setbacks. They reflect a deeper structural unease, and with this slide in form, a second consecutive absence from the World Test Championship final looks increasingly likely.

From the very beginning, the warning signs were unmistakable. Gambhir’s initial approach as coach relied on issuing instructions with little room for dialogue, projecting control rather than confidence. The overhaul began almost immediately. Trusted aides were pushed out, selections shifted abruptly, and the communication became unmistakably one way. In a cricket ecosystem with a billion observers and a tradition where even icons are held to account, transparency is essential. Yet Gambhir’s tone has increasingly conveyed authority without any effort to explain decisions.

This dynamic was most evident after India’s bruising recent series defeat against South Africa. Instead of humility, introspection or clarity on what went wrong, the post series press interaction was marked by defensiveness and deflection.

Selection has become another major source of concern. His playing eleven choices have been downright baffling at times, with a few picks simply not primed for Test cricket in terms of skills, temperament or endurance. There is widespread concern about frequent chopping and changing of the XI and batting order: specialists have been overlooked in favour of so called all-rounders or inexperienced players, disrupting team balance. Nitish Kumar Reddy has struggled, Sai Sudarshan has looked out of depth in the longer format, Washington Sundar’s shifting responsibilities have created confusion, and Dhruv Jurel appears underprepared for elite opposition. At the same time, several proven domestic performers with strong red ball credentials continue to be ignored. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar must also take responsibility for this muddled and heavily IPL influenced approach.

The handling of senior players has added to the unease. Several veterans exited abruptly amid murmurs of curt communication and an unwelcoming environment. A modern dressing room requires clarity, empathy and emotional intelligence, qualities that seem to be in short supply at present.

Gambhir still has the potential to succeed as coach, but only if he adjusts his methods and builds a more open and collaborative environment. Without that shift, India risk allowing a string of avoidable defeats to define a tenure where intensity eclipsed balance. 

India have lost their once-formidable “home fortress” status in Test cricket. It’s time to introspect and regain that aura.