Other high-profile coaches of the Indian men cricket team in the past have been Kapil Dev, Gary Kirsten, Ravi Shastri, and Rahul Dravid, but none of them brought about this level of publicity and scrutiny as Gautam Gambhir. The grit, determination, and capability to play on the biggest stage, whether the T20 World Cup final in 2007, the World Cup final in 2011 or the famous Napier Test in 2009 were the occasion, made the former Indian opening batter who replaced Rahul Dravid in July 2024 a celebrity in his playing days. The career of Gambhir was characterized by fearlessness and tenacity which made him a match-winner.
Gambhir was known to be very competitive and not shy to face off with his rivals which in many occasions served him well against the likes of Shahid Afridi, Shane Watson and Kamran Akmal. But the same qualities that helped him to achieve success as a player do not necessarily transfer into coaching without hiccups. Following his success in guiding Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to IPL title in 2024, Gambhir was perceived by the BCCI as an automatic option to head an Indian team with three years of experience in IPL and with Lucknow Super Giants and KKR. There were high expectations that he would be able to make India an all formats powerhouse.
However, eighteen months into his tenure, the outcomes have been only average. The Test results have especially been worrying in India as India has lost to New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. The first match of Gambhir in office was a two-goal home triumph over Bangladesh, yet the immediate whitewash by New Zealand in the homeland came as a colossal shock to all the fans and scholars.
India have played 19 Tests under Gambhir, seven won, ten lost, and two drawn with a win percentage of 36.82 which is better than Duncan Fletcher (33.33) but far inferior to Rahul Dravid (58.33), Ravi Shastri (58.13), Anil Kumble (70.59) and Gary Kirsten (48.49).
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