New Delhi: Gautam Gambhir is facing intense scrutiny in his position as the head coach, and reportedly he doesn’t enjoy the same backing as he once did from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Some senior India players have also expressed their reservations regarding Gambhir’s coaching style.
As per a report in Cricblogger, Gambhir has become a talking point in the BCCI boardroom, with many expressing their concerns over his tendency not to take accountability and often shifting the blame towards the players. He has been accused of rarely accepting the failures of the decisions taken by the Indian team management under his leadership.
The report claimed that some senior players have already privately conveyed their reservations regarding Gambhir’s coaching style to some of the members of the BCCI Apex Council and some former India cricketers. Despite the increasing scrutiny, Gambhir reportedly still retains the Indian cricket board’s confidence; however, his methods have raised eyebrows.
Many in the board believe that Gambhir escaped criticism after India’s Test series losses in Australia and against South Africa at home. India were clean-swept 2-0 by the Proteas at home in what was one of the most embarrassing defeats in the longest format in recent times. Gambhir had blamed the team’s ‘transition’ for the loss despite claiming that there was no such thing as transition at the start of his stint.
India’s upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka is a crucial one for Gambhir, potentially making it a defining assignment in his coaching stint with the team so far. India will play two Tests in Sri Lanka, with the series getting underway on August 15. India will be hopeful of bouncing back in the whites under Gambhir after a poor show in the format over the last couple of years.
Gautam Gambhir’s coaching stint so far
Gambhir has endured a mixed tenure with the Indian team as the head coach of the side across all three formats. While the team has performed well under him in white-ball cricket, India have struggled in Tests, suffering some disastrous losses at home and away from home. India won the Champions Trophy last year under Gambhir before clinching the Asia Cup 2025 and the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
However, they suffered a shock defeat in the Test series against New Zealand at home in 2024 before losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia and the South Africa Test series at home. Gambhir has a contract till the 2027 ODI World Cup and is expected to continue in the role despite the recent scrutiny.