India's Test graph has gone down considerably under Gambhir, while the team has won ICC titles.
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 -- in addition to the Asia Cup 2025.
However, the white-ball success has not translated to the traditional format. With Gambhir at the helm, India have won eight, lost 10 and drew two of their 20 Tests so far, which includes a couple of clean sweeps against New Zealand (0-3) and South Africa (0-2) at home.
Furthermore, Gambhir has been accused of forcing senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli into retirement from Test cricket. He recently faced backlash after India suffered whitewash in the back-to-back whitewash in the T20I series against Ireland and England.
Amid growing scrutiny, India’s 2011 World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten has thrown his weight behind Gautam Gambhir, pointing out his success with the national team and in the IPL while also highlighting the cricketing acumen he displayed during his playing career.
“He’s a fantastic coach. He’s had incredible success. He has won a T20 World Cup (2026) and the ICC Champions Trophy (2025). He’s also had success in the IPL (Gambhir was the team mentor for 2024 IPL champs Kolkata Knight Riders). His record speaks for itself. I really enjoyed working with him when he was a player. He’s a smart cricketer and I knew he’d have success as coach," Kirsten told Times of India.
Reflecting on his highly successful tenure as India head coach, Kirsten credited the immense skill of the players and praised them for welcoming an outside perspective into their dressing room.
Now guiding the Sri Lankan national team, the former South African opener emphasized that his fundamental commitment and serious coaching framework remain exactly the same.
“It was a great three years and a privileged one to work with Indian players,” Kirsten said. “There was a lot of skill in that dressing room. What I appreciated was that they accepted me into their space and felt I could add value. I’ve approached the Sri Lankan role with the same seriousness.”
Kirsten and Gambhir will be up against each other, with Sri Lanka set to host India in a two-match Test series starting from August 15 in Galle.