Gautam Gambhir has remained at the centre of discussion in Indian cricket ever since he stepped into the head coach’s role. His tenure has brought mixed results so far. In red-ball cricket, India have endured a challenging phase, suffering home series defeats to New Zealand and South Africa, setbacks that have raised eyebrows. The white-ball story began on a brighter note, with title wins in the Champions Trophy 2025 and the Asia Cup offering reassurance. Yet, that momentum appears to have slowed. India recently conceded an ODI series at home to New Zealand for the first time, and their campaign in the ongoing T20 World Cup has lacked consistency. The heavy defeat to South Africa in the Super 8 stage has further complicated their path, leaving their semifinal hopes hanging in the balance.
Former England pacer Steve Harmison, who has never been one to mince his words, stayed true to that reputation while assessing India head coach Gambhir. Bluntly stating that “Gambhir is hard to like,” Harmison opened up on the former opener’s spiky, uncompromising personality, questioning whether that edge will serve him well in the dressing room and in a high-pressure role, even as he acknowledged and admired his stubborn drive and coaching methods.
“Gambhir is hard to like, and that doesn’t help. He’s very spiky, and I am not sure what he’s like in the dressing room. You’ve got a chance to succeed as an Indian coach only if you have less ego. He’ll be gone if he doesn’t win this World Cup. But I also admire him for the way he has gone about coaching. He was a prickly character, a prickly player, and a stubborn player,” Steve Harmison said on Talksport Cricket YouTube channel.
“Gambhir loyal to people he wants to be around”
Continuing his candid assessment of Gambhir, Harmison turned the spotlight on the support staff and leadership style shaping the current setup. Harmison pointed out that Gambhir has chosen to back trusted allies over established Indian greats, praising his loyalty but also questioning whether he possesses the flexibility and self-reflection that define truly successful coaches at the highest level.
“He has gone into his coaching without the Indian greats. Instead, he has gone in with Morne Morkel and Ryan Ten Doeschate, who, in his eyes, are the best coaches for his way of managing the group. He’s loyal to the people he wants to be around, and I admire that about him. The sign of a good coach is admitting when he’s wrong and putting it right. It’s also one who looks himself in the mirror and say this is not going to work and I need to change the course of this ship. That’s something I don’t think he’s strong at,” he added.
