In his nearly two-year stint with the Indian team, Gautam Gambhir, by his own admission, has made many mistakes. But that’s only part of being human, right? The India head coach has been in the news ever since he took over in July of 2024, often finding himself at the centre of a storm. Be it India’s steep decline in Test cricket, or his reported beef with stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Then again, Gambhir remains the only coach to have won two ICC trophies with the Indian team – the 2025 Champions Trophy and the recently concluded 2026 T20 World Cup. Add to that last year’s Asia Cup title, and Gambhir has a decent CV to boast of – at least in white-ball formats.
At the Trailblazers event organised by RevSportz, Gambhir was asked about a recent tweet in which he suggested that certain people were trying to pit his players against him. The question referenced the constant speculation about his relationship with senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, with narratives often suggesting he is on a mission to expel them from the team. This, despite them sharing the same dressing room and working together to win matches for India. Dealing with the perception that the head coach is at odds with two of the team’s most senior cricketers can often be tough, but Gambhir puts his point straightforwardly.
“I’m a human. I should be allowed to make mistakes. Just like anyone else, a player should be allowed to make mistakes. I must have made mistakes in the last 18 months. I don’t shy away from that, but I’ve always believed in one thing. Wrong decision with right intent is acceptable, but wrong decision with wrong intent is not in that dressing room,” he said.
The equation between Gautam Gambhir and Rohit, Virat has been a hot topic of discussion ever since the two announced their retirements from Test cricket. Both Gambhir and Agarkar have had to face flak, although there’s no concrete evidence that Ro-Ko was pushed out of Tests. All they have said on record is that the 2027 World Cup is still some time away, and that’s enough to spark a fan backlash. Still, at the end of the day, Gambhir believes that as long as he, at the bottom of his heart, believes he is doing the right thing, he can look at himself in the mirror.
“Till the time I am doing everything with honesty, till the time I can be honest with everyone in that dressing room, I can look into their eyes and talk to them, I think I am doing a fair job with my position. That is something I can live with. I don’t need to clarify anything and everything that appears on social media,” added the head coach.
