Former India pacer Munaf Patel has warned the BCCI that sacking head coach Gautam Gambhir would cause severe difficulties in handling players.

Gambhir took over as India head coach from Rahul Dravid in July 2024. Since then, he has guided India to two ICC titles - Champions Trophy 2025 and T20 World Cup 2026 - the most by any coach in history of Indian cricket.

However, the white-ball success has not translated to the traditional format. With Gambhir at the helm, India have won seven, lost 10 and drew two of their 19 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.

Despite the criticism over Test results and the alleged forced retirements of Rohit and Kohli, Munaf threw his weight behind the chief coach, cautioning that things could go south if Gambhir is removed.

“Just remember this, if a head coach like Gautam Gambhir is removed, then handling the players will become very difficult. He is a genuine person; he calls the truth as it is and many people don’t like that," Munaf told the Times of India.

“Gambhir is the only one who’s handling the players today. Other than him, the players won’t be handled by other coaches. Because he's still feared — because he loves cricket, not money. You will never see him fighting for money. He doesn’t even need money, nor has he ever been like that," he added.

"I am saying, Gambhir is a true human being. He speaks the truth. Many people don’t like it because he speaks on the face. He doesn’t have any betrayal in his mind," he continued.

Patel went on to highlight Gambhir’s courage to drop underperforming players. "If Gambhir leaves after three years, then you will see things become more scattered. Because he can keep control. Absolutely—he has a complete controlling system. And everyone knows that if anything goes wrong, he has the guts to drop players," he further said.

According to Munaf Patel, a coach shouldn’t be a friend with players. "The coach should have control. He can’t be a friend. If he is, then you are spoiling the system. There should be fear. Think about it—how many enemies Gautam Gambhir is making while doing this job. In commentary panel, 8 out of 10 people are against him. 4 out of 5 selectors will be against him. But still, he does his work,” Munaf remarked.

While Gambhir's contract runs till 2027, he may get an extension to remain with the Indian team till 2028 T20 World Cup. He is currently enjoying a break, with the IPL 2026 underway in India.