Under Gautam Gambhir, India has recorded unwanted achievements across formats.
Gautam Gambhir reflected upon his 18-month tenure as the head coach of the Indian team, ahead of their T20 World Cup 2026 game against Namibia. This match will be played on February 12, 2026, at Gambhir’s home ground of Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
India started their T20 World Cup with a challenging win over the USA, which came mainly because of Suryakumar Yadav’s classic knock.
When Gautam Gambhir took over as India’s head coach after the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph and KKR’s IPL 2024 title win, expectations were immense following Rahul Dravid’s exit. However, India soon stumbled, losing an ODI series in Sri Lanka, suffering a 1-3 defeat in Australia to concede the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and enduring a rare home Test loss to New Zealand.
In his tenure, Gambhir has had more misses than hits, with only the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the Asia Cup 2025 wins to show as successes, along with a drawn five-Test series in England. Besides, his fallout with star cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has landed him immense flak on social media.
Gambhir couldn't be happier to be back in Delhi, even if just temporarily, because being on the road all the time and not seeing the results you want may make you feel lonely.
“Home is love, home is where your family is, and obviously, home is where you get peace as well. For me, home has always been really special. Obviously, it's tough because you go through a lot of lonely nights as well; you go through a lot of nights where things don't go your way. It is sometimes a very challenging profession as well, so when you have got your trusted support staff, they become as close as your family, because you can share a lot of emotions with them.” Gambhir said in a video released by the BCCI.
The head coach emphasized having a family away from relatives because of this. With Gambhir emphasizing the importance of maintaining a lighthearted tone, the Indian squad is engaged in laughing, fun, joy, happiness, and so on.
"In fact, when you are in this profession, you share a lot more emotion with them as compared to what you share with your family. They know the ups and downs of this profession; they know how it feels when things don't go your way.
There have to be moments where the guys can be themselves; there have to be funny moments somewhere in the practice sessions or in the dressing room. Everyone has a funny side, so we make sure that we try to get the fun side out of everyone, and that is something that will keep the atmosphere light as well,” Gambhir stated.
Here is the video: