Aakash Chopra, former India opener, has opened up on the extreme highs and lows the Indian team has experienced during the tenure of head coach Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir took over the reins from Rahul Dravid after the 2024 T20 World Cup win.
Gautam Gambhir saw success in the white-ball format, as India won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2026 T20 World Cup under his guidance.
However, amongst the lows have been the ODI series loss in Sri Lanka and the two home Test series losses to New Zealand and South Africa. Recently, India was whitewashed by Ireland in T20Is and has lost the ongoing T20I series to England.
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has joined the debate about increasing scrutiny on head coach Gautam Gambhir, following the recent performances of the Indian team.
Under Gambhir's leadership, India has had some notable highs and lows in the shortest format, according to Chopra.
"The disturbing fact is that Gautam's coaching tenure has seen extreme highs and lows. On one hand, we witness spectacular success after success. The team keeps winning series after series. They do not lose a single T20I series. They win 16 matches in a row, many of which come during his tenure. You win the World Cup. You win the Champions Trophy. And you are absolutely outstanding. But whenever we lose, we lose very badly. Whether it is the ODI series defeat in Sri Lanka, the Test series loss at home, the defeat against New Zealand, the matches against Ireland, or now the series against England," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
"It feels like we are either on top of the world or flat on the floor. That is how his tenure has been so far. Another issue is that the team has now lost yet another series. If they lose one more match and suffer a clean sweep, they will no longer be the No. 1-ranked team in T20Is," he added.
With Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's run of low scores serving as a prime example, Chopra further emphasized the Indian batters' continuous struggle against short-pitched bowling. The former cricket player stated that one of the main issues throughout the England series has been India's incapacity to counter the short-ball strategy.
"This is one area where the Indian team seems to be surrendering again and again. England's bowlers relied heavily on short-pitched bowling throughout the series. With the new ball, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue came in with a clear plan—bowl at speeds above 140 kmph, preferably around 145 kmph, and keep banging in short deliveries one after another, almost challenging the batters by saying, 'Go on, hit us if you think you can.' India simply could not deal with it," said Chopra.
"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has now played three innings. Every time he has played a few attractive shots, it has felt like a big score is coming, but he has not crossed 15 even once. In fact, he has not yet surpassed the number that matches his own age. He does play one or two really good shots, sometimes exceptional ones, but it is the short ball that eventually gets him out. Ishan Kishan has also struggled against the short ball. He was dismissed in a similar fashion in the previous match," he added.
India will play for pride and avoid yet another winless T20I series when they play England in the fifth and final T20I in Southampton on July 11, 2026.
