"My job is to win trophies" — Gautam Gambhir shuts down critics ahead of SL vs IND 2nd Test

On the eve of the second Test of the two-match series against Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, at the press conference, made it clear that he had no interest in gaining interest on social media and focused only on winning trophies for the Indian side.

Under the leadership of Shubman Gill, India gained a fine victory by 165 runs in the first Test. Devdutt Padikkal’s fine century helped them in setting the platform with the bat before the left-arm spinner, Manav Suthar, celebrated his 10-wicket haul to leave Galle with a win.

Gambhir draws a sharp line between media noise and on-field success, says he's unfazed by criticism

India are in the middle of a significant transition in the longest format, especially with the retirement of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ravichandran Ashwin, as Gambhir has one worry: winning the titles for the Indian side.

“My job is to win trophies, not views and likes. That's all I care for. Rankings do not matter. We are not struggling. Since the England tour, we have played reasonable Test cricket.” Gambhir expressed in the press conference.

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“There will be ups and downs in cricket, and we need to back our players and give them a longer rope, and it's not based on one or two matches. We will try to field the best bowling attack that can get us 20 wickets. Kuldeep is a good bowler, and sometimes it's up to the captain as well.” He revealed.

The former Indian opener claimed that they had no issues in turning up for the second Test after just a three-day break as they had given rest to the pacers in between.

“A three-Test series is ideal. Short turnaround is fine; we know how to manage our bodies and recover. We give optional practices and rest bowlers. I feel a three-Test series is ideal. Ideally, I would want a 3-match Test series. Sometimes, if you lose the first Test, the other team cannot make a comeback, and the maximum they can try for a draw.” Gambhir informed.

India eye a series sweep in Colombo after their dominant win in the Galle series opener

India started their Test campaign under Gambhir’s coaching with the two-match Test series win over Bangladesh before losing to New Zealand in a clean sweep by the 0-3 margin. They went to Australia and started the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2025/26 with a win in Perth before losing the series by a 3-1 margin.

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The blue brigade drew the away series against England by a 2-2 margin before winning against West Indies at home. Following the 0-2 defeat against South Africa, they won two successive games against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

The Blue Brigade is currently in fifth position in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025/27, earning five wins at a PCT of 53.33. If they continue their dominance, they could end up reaching the final of the event.