Gambhir has guided the Indian team to two ICC trophies so far.
Gautam Gambhir took over as India head coach from Rahul Dravid in July 2024. Since then, he has guided the team to two ICC titles - Champions Trophy 2025 and T20 World Cup 2026 - the most by any Indian coach.
After scripting history last week, Gambhir stressed that the team's culture under his tenure is built around winning trophies rather than chasing personal milestones.
On Tuesday (March 17), former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin commended Gambhir for his team-first philosophy.
“I like Gautam, and many people may have different opinions about him, but he is someone who always puts the team ahead of individuals. He credits the team, not individuals, and that’s something I admire,” Ashwin said while speaking at RevSportz’s Trailblazers Conclave.
Ashwin also discussed the importance of looking beyond individual stars. “There is more to Indian cricket than just a couple of people," he added.
Ashwin bid adieu to international cricket in December 2024, midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. He represented India in 106 Tests, 116 ODIs, and 65 T20Is, picking up 765 wickets across all formats.
The off-spinner finished his career as the country’s second highest wicket-taker (537 scalps) in Test cricket, only behind Anil Kumble’s record tally of 619 dismissals. He was also part of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy winning teams.
Speaking about his retirement decision, Ashwin said: “At Perth (the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25), I was the senior bowler. Washi played that Test, and I realised that my time was up.”
Ashwin’s retirement was followed by batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma quitting Test cricket in May last year.
Reflecting on his long association with Kohli and Rohit, Ashwin remarked: “The best part about us was that none of us blamed each other. We all wanted India to win and make the country proud. We were motivated to do that."
Ashwin also offered his perspective on the challenges faced by the Indian Test team in the ongoing transition phase.
“The team is in transition. Playing against spin is a problem, but for me, batting is not that big an issue. We will produce batters. Bowling is not as effective as batting, and that is where the concern lies," he concluded.