Gautam Gambhir took over as India's head coach from Rahul Dravid in 2024.
Kris Srikkanth, a former India cricketer, has said that Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir should also be held responsible after the Men in Blue suffered their second consecutive T20I series loss. After losing 0-2 to Ireland, India have conceded a 0-3 lead to England in the ongoing five-match T20I series.
England won the fourth T20I in Bristol by 9 wickets in a dominant show with the ball and the bat. After winning the toss, Shreyas Iyer led from the front, scoring 80* with 4 fours and 5 sixes, powering India to 158/7 in 20 overs.
In response, Phil Salt (59*) and Harry Brook (79*) thumped India by achieving the target in 13.5 overs only and gaining an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series with one match to go.
In reaction to the same, Srikkanth has stated that if Suryakumar Yadav was dropped from the Indian team despite winning the T20 World Cup 2026 as captain and if Sanju Samson was dropped from the XI after three failures, a similar yardstick should be applied to head coach Gautam Gambhir as well.
"Who is going to question him? No one. Can anyone ask him to be removed? They won't, and then, two months back, he won the World Cup. Then, Suryakumar Yadav also won the World Cup two months back. It's a different yardstick for different people. If you are removing Samson and Surya, remove him too,” Srikkanth stated on his YouTube channel.
Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India’s head coach has been full of ups and downs. Despite winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 under his guidance, India has suffered shocking series losses across formats.
They endured two home Test series whitewashes by New Zealand and South Africa, along with a 0-2 ODI series loss in Sri Lanka and the recent T20I series debacles against Ireland and England.
Despite the team's unfathomable losses, Kris Srikkanth feels that the absence of inquiries over Gautam Gambhir's role as head coach has kept him worry-free.
"He's the one untouchable and is having a great time eating chickpeas, even yesterday after the match. He showed no worries about losing. Despite so many whitewashes, he's unshakable. He talks with no worries as no one can do anything to him," said Srikkanth.
The fifth and final T20I of the series between England and India will be on July 11, 2026, in Southampton.