Gautam Gambhir doesn’t care about the herd mentality of the rogue, hero-worshipping, mainstream Indian fans – which is why he has me sold. “People don’t come to watch me smile – they come to watch me win.” These famous words of the 2011 ICC World Cup winning southpaw came approximately two months before he became the head coach of the Indian cricket team in 2024. Roughly a year prior to this, Gambhir became the villain of the partisan cricketing community within the country, as he ruthlessly stood eye-to-eye with Virat Kohli to defend his teammate at the IPL. Then again, a friend to all is a friend to none.
As a player, Gambhir was never one of the standout names in my eyes. Although he had several noteworthy contributions for country and franchise, he lacked the ‘wow’ factor that I look for in a player. Moreover, Gambhir’s overseas record was miserly in comparison with his numbers at home. Apart from Kohli’s shocking performance on the tour, one of the memorable moments of the 2014 England vs India series happened to be Geoffrey Boycott’s brutal analysis of the Indian opener. “He is rubbish, isn’t he? He can’t bat in England,” declared the now 84-year-old. Yet, I was also guilty of failing to recognise Gambhir’s immense talent and champion mentality – something that struck my mind after his retirement in 2019.
Gambhir’s work in the IPL as the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants as well as head coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders was immense. He managed to groom an able leader in KL Rahul, and ensured that the new franchise qualified for two consecutive play-offs in 2022 and 2023. Upon making a move to KKR, Gambhir guided the men in purple to a third IPL trophy. What I loved was the fact that it was Shreyas Iyer – the man whom Gambhir paved the way for in a leadership role at Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) – who led the Knight Riders in their triumphant 2024 campaign.
When I heard about the news of Rahul Dravid’s tenure as the head coach of the Indian cricket team coming to an end, it was a bitter-sweet moment for me. Bitter, because I grew up in Bengaluru – a city where it is impossible to escape tales and videos of Dravid’s brilliance over the years. Despite not watching much of him in his prime years, I was a fan. Sweet, because I knew that we required someone as rigid as Gambhir to take us forward. Regardless of the immediate results, he was going to be the person who would set us up for long-term success.
Whether or not this New Delhi-born sensation could walk the talk, was secondary. But during his chat with Ravichandran Ashwin – one of the finest thinkers of the game and somebody who has sung extensive praise of Gambhir – there was a sense that he was going to set a precedent. The hideous superstar culture within the system of Indian cricket was finally going to vanish. It doesn’t matter if you are Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma – when it comes to the structure and future of the Indian team, no player is bigger than the nation. And in spite of knowing that he was going to be despised for the culture and decisions he sets into place, Gambhir was willing to do the needful.
Consider the team he inherited and the players who have regained prominence and flourished under GG. He walked in right after the retirement of Kohli, Sharma and Jadeja in the T20I format. By fine-tuning Suryakumar Yadav in the leadership role and introducing match-winners in the form of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma, Gambhir made a challenging transition look seamless. In fact, I would argue that it is an Indian white ball side that looks more dangerous than ever before. The emergence of KL Rahul as a supremely trustworthy opener in the test team, the rise of Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel as headliners in the white ball setup, and the immovable faith in Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana despite media outrage – it all boils down to Gambhir’s decision making.
Over time, most of the things which Gambhir stood in support of – at least in theory – aligned with what I envisioned as an Indian cricket fan. Across all three formats, the strategy ahead was clear. In T20Is, a fearless brand of cricket where the aim was to consistently score 220+ runs and take 10 wickets with aplomb. In tests, a gradual evolution towards long-term success with young Shubman Gill at the helm. While the spinners would weave their magical spells at home, the fiery pacers take charge away from home. With the ODI setup not being a priority until the peak preparations for the 2027 World Cup, things have been left open-ended.
Gambhir’s emphasis on domestic cricket has been game-changing. Not only has he unabashedly vouched for test cricket as the ultimate form of the game, but he is also making a whole-hearted attempt at increasing the lost significance of the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 – tournaments that have historically played a massive role in the foundational strength of Indian cricket. From my personal observations, I have seen more talks around the domestic squads and India-A Tours of late. While there is an argument that people are paying closer attention to point fingers at Gambhir’s belief system, his job is getting done.
Some of the criticism regarding the Gambhir regime is unequivocally valid. He is occasionally too rigid (or nastily arrogant) for his own good. The bizarre lobbying for Harshit Rana, who has the drive but evidently lacks the quality and cricketing IQ on the big stage, is something that needs to be reconsidered going forward. Moreover, the misuse of prolific multi-format specialists such as Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh can be added to the tally of Gambhir’s most noteworthy errors thus far. Although he is unlikely to budge on his belief in batting depth and requirement of all-rounders, the repercussions of being unable to adopt a back-up plan or fall back on an alternate ideology can be drastic.
Even from a political standpoint, Gambhir’s right wing tendencies are worrisome. It is hard to forget the embarrassing sequence of events when India refused to shake the Pakistan Cricket Team’s hands during the 2025 Asia Cup. The Indian head coach is a staunch Hindu nationalist who has been present at targeted rallies against minority communities in the past. Between 2019 and 2024, Gambhir served as an elected representative of the Lok Sabha from the BJP. Every time one applauds his bravery and tactical prowess on the cricket pitch, there is a cacophonous voice that reminds us of his questionable choices off the field.
Movies and cricket are the two things that have an unrivalled power to impact people in Indian society. When the team loses, 1.5 billion people grieve, rue the day, and lambast the men in blue together. You may argue that winning hasn’t become a habit for India at the moment, but Gambhir makes no bones about his demand for it. Upon drawing a riveting test series against England and their overhyped ‘Bazball’, the gaffer laid it out in the open that an Indian team is never under transition. The facade of ‘trust the process and victory will eventually reach you’ doesn’t faze Gambhir – he only cares about the W.
“One thing I can say about him is that he brings a Spartan mentality to the team where there is no option of losing,” asserted Varun Chakravarthy – India’s ace mystery spinner in the shorter format. “You have to bring your best and give everything on the ground, and whatever happens, happens. But when he is around, there is no mediocrity – you can’t be mediocre in the field.” Well, the statistics don’t lie either. Prior to the T20I series against Australia (which India won 2-1), Gambhir’s overall success rate happened to be 68%. This included a 50% winning ratio with Ro-Ko in the team, and 83% without them.
On some days, I find Gambhir’s nonchalance and attitude towards the media quite fascinating. On others, the dismissive nature comes off as irritable and disrespectful. No matter which way you look at it, there is no denying the fact that the man is willing to take the blow for every minor blip in the system. I wouldn’t put it past the southpaw for having his guard up due to the potential target on his back within the diaspora of journalists and critics. Until the last day of his tenure, Gambhir will continue to work in silence and offer a platform for the youngsters to rise and shine. For anyone expecting a change in his beliefs or attitude, bad news awaits.
The sad truth in a passion-heavy country like India, is that nostalgia blinds people more than they care to recognise. When we have so many rags to riches stories, there is a sense of attachment that fans feel towards certain athletes. Indians would surely top a hypothetical statistic when it comes to falling prey to superstar culture and hero worship of individuals. The deleterious repercussion of this, is that both fans and players do not know when to let go. Whether it’s Sachin Tendulkar or Mahendra Singh Dhoni, or the flag bearers of the current generation, the concept of leaving the game before the game leaves you bears no significance in our nation.
If there is a macro takeaway that Mr. ‘Antagonist of the Year’ Gautam Gambhir has given us, it is that change is inevitable. Take a look at some of the most dominant sporting setups in terms of consistency and longevity – be it Australia in cricket or Real Madrid in football. One of the biggest reasons for their success is the ability to ensure cyclic rebuilding of the team. Even if there are names that have mass appeal and short-term quality, moving on and thinking forward about the larger picture is pivotal. Having observed his thirst for success and ability to embrace change by providing new opportunities, the hope remains that the Gautam Gambhir era is remembered for the right reasons.
