Former great gives bold verdict on Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir is under mounting pressure for his Test coaching methods, a situation made worse by India’s recent whitewash in South Africa. The team’s red-ball plans and overall strategy have been heavily criticised, particularly the increasing reliance on all-rounders instead of proven specialists — a move that clearly backfired. South Africa dominated India in every department, with their bowlers reading the conditions better and their batters showing stronger technique on spin-friendly tracks.

While Gambhir’s approach has delivered strong results in limited-overs cricket, helping India win both the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup, the same tactics have not produced success in the Test arena. He now needs to reassess his methods and make necessary changes before things deteriorate further.

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Amid the criticism, former South Africa captain AB de Villiers shared his thoughts on Gambhir’s coaching style, commenting on how the ex-opener’s temperament might influence the Indian dressing room.

“From the Indian team’s perspective, it’s a tough situation. I’m not entirely sure what Gambhir is like as a leader. I’ve seen him as a very emotional player, and if that carries over into the dressing room, an overly emotional coach can sometimes be a drawback. But that doesn’t mean he actually leads that way behind the scenes,” De Villiers remarked during a conversation with Ravichandran Ashwin on his YouTube channel.