Gautam Gambhir has had an eventful tenure as the head coach of the Indian team so far. He has been slammed left, right and centre for his role as the Test coach due to India’s underperformance in two back-to-back home seasons. While he has fared better in the white-ball formats, some of his calls have stirred the pot.
Reacting to the criticism of Gambhir as India head coach, Yuvraj said that the left-hander had a sharp cricketing brain from his playing days and it is not a surprise to see him do well in ODI and T20I cricket. Yuvraj added that Gambhir gets criticised because of the position he holds, where scrutiny is magnified many times over.
“I have played with Gautam since Under-16 and Under-19, and I always felt he had a very good cricketing brain. The way he sees the game has always stood out,” Yuvraj said.
“He has performed at the highest level and played a major role in winning two World Cups. Then as a mentor with Kolkata Knight Riders, he won titles again. He must be doing something right,” Yuvraj added.
Gautam Gambhir has won the ICC Champions Trophy and the T20 World Cup. His team beat New Zealand in both finals, marking a period of dominance for the Indian side. Gambhir has said that by the end of the Indian Premier League 2026, he will have a blueprint ready for the ODI World Cup 2027, a tournament that India lost at home in 2023.
“When you become India’s coach, there are too many eyes on you. One mistake is shown 100 times, one success 1000 times,” he said.
CREDIT TO GAMBHIR FOR STICKING TO HIS PROCESS
Yuvraj credited Gautam Gambhir for sticking to his process during the T20 World Cup, stating that the head coach trusted his methods even when the desired results were not coming during the group phase.
Yuvraj was referring to the batting struggles India faced in the group stage and the Super 8s, where they were not able to play free-flowing cricket.
“He went through that phase but stuck to his process. That is what led India to the World Cup triumph. Now he is back on a high. There will always be ups and downs in cricket.”
“He was clear. We have to play this brand of cricket even if there are failures. We are coming after you from the first ball. If it’s there to hit, players like Abhishek or Sanju will go for it from the first ball,” he explained.
Gautam Gambhir is currently enjoying a break after a tough international season. As per the head coach, he will sit with the selectors and the rest of his team to work out a blueprint for India’s 2027 ODI World Cup.
Gambhir will have some big calls to make, considering the age of seniors Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The duo have been batting well in the IPL this season, and it will be interesting to see if they remain automatic selections for the World Cup.
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