Time to Rethink? Analyzing why Gautam Gambhir may not be ideal fit as India’s Head Coach

After India suffered a heartbreaking 22-run defeat in the Lord’s Test, head coach Gautam Gambhir has once again come under the scanner. Some cricket fans have already raised questions about whether he is fit for the coaching of the national team. 

Gautam Gambhir joined as the head coach of the Indian national cricket team in late July 2024, after India toured Zimbabwe 2024 (VVS Laxman was the interim head coach for that tour). Before Gambhir started his coaching journey for the Indian team, India were celebrating the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 trophy win, which was their first ICC trophy in 11 years. 

See Also: ENG vs IND 2025: 3 reasons why India lost Lord's Test against England

Team India's performance under the head coach Gautam Gambhir

(*India won the Super Over in the only tied match against Sri Lanka)

Gautam Gambhir’s coaching record in Test cricket

• Won the home two-match Test series against Bangladesh by 2-0.

• Lost the three-match home Test series against New Zealand by 3-0.

• Lost the five-match away Test series against the hosts Australia (Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25) by 3-1.  

• Trailing the five-match away Test series against the hosts England (Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2024-25) by 2-1 after the third Test. 

Gautam Gambhir’s coaching record in ODI cricket

• Lost the three-match away ODI series against the hosts Sri Lanka by 2-0, with a tied result. 

• Won the three-match home ODI series against England by 3-0.

• Won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in the United Arab Emirates (didn’t play a match in Pakistan), where they won all five matches in the tournament.  

Gautam Gambhir’s coaching record in T20I cricket

• Won the three-match away T20I series against the hosts Sri Lanka by 3-0.

• Won the three-match home T20I series against Bangladesh by 3-0.

• Won the four-match away T20I series against the hosts South Africa by 3-1.

• Won the five-match home T20I series against England by 4-1. 

Is Gautam Gambhir fit for the Indian head coach?

While India under Gambhir’s coaching have very strong results in both the ODI and T20I formats, including winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 by winning all five matches, they have struggled massively in Test cricket.

Despite the strong results in the white-ball formats, Gautam Gambhir’s coaching has been criticised heavily for poor Test results. The Test team management has been questioned every time, and the selection process hasn’t been understandable to some experts. Many believe that if India suffers a Test series defeat in the ongoing England tour (Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025), where India are trailing by 2-1 after the third Test at Lord’s in the five-match Test series, coach Gautam Gambhir can face massive fire from the board.

However, India are also preparing for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027. While the Gautam Gambhir-led coaching team has brought strong white-ball results in their early period, the “coaching under pressure” isn’t an easy phrase.