Gautam Gambhir: A coaching tenure of peaks, pitfalls and defiance

Gautam Gambhir walked into the India head coach’s job on July 9, 2024, with more baggage than most of his predecessors. The image of him in a heated on-field exchange with Virat Kohli during an IPL 2023 game had already circulated enough times to shape public perception. 

He was also stepping into a role vacated by Rahul Dravid, whose tenure had been, by most measures, a success. Under Dravid, India lifted the T20 World Cup in 2024, produced a near-dream run in the 2023 ODI World Cup that ended with a runner-up finish, and reached the ICC World Test Championship 2023 final at The Oval, where they finished second to Australia. 

The Pitfalls

Gambhir didn't just inherit a team; he inherited expectations calibrated to a high bar. Those expectations made his early stumbles feel heavier. His tenure began with a jolt as India lost a bilateral ODI series 2-0 to Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, their first such series defeat there since 1997.

The real storm, though, arrived with New Zealand’s visit in October-November of 2024. India were whitewashed at home by the Kiwis in a three-match Test series, the first time India had ever been blanked in a home Test series of three or more matches.

The noise only grew louder during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia. Reports of a potential fallout between Gambhir and some players began to seep out of the dressing room, feeding a narrative of friction and disconnect. India lost the series 3-1 and failed to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship 2025 final. For a coach already under the microscope, it was another heavy strike against his tenure.

The Peaks

There were, however, glimpses of what his India could be. A young side led by Shubman Gill went to England last year and drew the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2, a result that earned Gambhir and the team a measure of respect. But whatever goodwill that series generated evaporated quickly when India were humbled 2-0 at home by South Africa in a two-match Test series towards the end of the year. 

Amid this turbulence, Gambhir’s tenure also delivered some of India’s most commanding white-ball performances. Under his watch, India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai without losing a single game, then returned to the same venue later that year to claim the ACC Men’s Asia Cup, again unbeaten.

The Defiance

So when the criticism intensified after the home series defeat to South Africa, Gambhir did what he has always done: he pushed back, and he did it publicly.

"People can keep forgetting, but I’m the same guy who got results in England as well. With a young team. And I’m sure you guys will forget very soon because a lot of people keep talking about New Zealand. And I’m the same guy who won the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup as well. Yes, this is a team with less experience, and I’ve said before, they need to keep learning. They’re doing everything possible to turn the tide," Gambhir said in a presser.

It was classic Gambhir: unapologetic and confrontational. He was reminding everyone that his tenure couldn’t be reduced to a handful of bad series.

He is not the kind of coach who absorbs criticism quietly. When Delhi Capitals co-owner Parth Jindal publicly floated the idea of India having a specialist red-ball coach, Gambhir didn’t let it slide.

Not even close, what a complete thrashing at home! Don’t remember seeing our test side being so weak at home!!!This is what happens when red ball specialists are not picked. This team is nowhere near reflective of the deep strength we possess in the red ball format. Time for…

— Parth Jindal (@ParthJindal11) November 26, 2025

"People said things that have nothing to do with cricket. An IPL team owner also wrote about split coaching. It's important for people to stay in their domain. Because if we don't go into someone's domain, they also don't have the right to come into our domain," Gambhir had said in a press conference during the three-match ODI series against South Africa last year.

It was a reminder that he sees the India job as a serious, singular responsibility, and that commentary from outside that circle, especially from IPL team owners, would not go unchallenged.

The build-up to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 only tightened the pressure. India lost a closely contested three-match ODI series at home to New Zealand, and the whispers grew louder: Gambhir’s future, many suggested, hinged on a successful title defence. 

Now, India's emphatic win over the Blackcaps has given Gambhir something more intangible: breathing space. 

At the post-match press conference, seated alongside Suryakumar Yadav, Gambhir acknowledged the foundations laid before him and the structures that support Indian cricket, but he also used the moment to reiterate his core belief about what truly matters.

"I think first of all I should dedicate this trophy to Rahul [Dravid] bhai, and then to VVS Laxman [bhai]," Gambhir said after India beat New Zealand in Ahmedabad on Sunday. "Because what Rahul bhai has done to keep Indian cricket in such a good shape during his tenure, I have to thank him for everything. And then VVS Laxman for unconditionally doing so much for Indian cricket behind the doors, because the CoE remains the pipeline for Indian cricket.

“Stop celebrating milestones, celebrate trophies. That is going to be important because the bigger purpose of a team sport is to win trophies, not score individual runs. It has never mattered to me, and it will never matter to me," he said.

Gambhir's tenure so far has been a stretch defined by volatility, historic lows, commanding highs, relentless scrutiny, and a coach who refuses to be tied down. But through peaks, pitfalls, and persistent pushback, one thing is clear: Gambhir’s stint remains a story still unfolding, shaped as much by its challenges as by its achievements.