After T20I captain Shreyas Iyer's lavished rich praise on interim Team India head coach VVS Laxman, former South African batter AB de Villiers thinks Team India may be facing a coaching dilemma. After India defeated Zimbabwe 3-0 in the T20I series, Iyer praised Laxman, who took over as the series' head coach from Gautam Gambhir.

Under Gambhir as head coach, Iyer's tenure as captain of Team India began badly, with consecutive T20I series defeats to Ireland and England. Following India's recent white-ball results, rumors that Laxman would succeed Gambhir as the team's full-time head coach have begun to circulate on social media.

"Shreyas Iyer was full of credit for VVS Laxman and the way he coached the team. He said that VVS allowed them to be free and the messaging was clear. Is there something boiling? Maybe there is a bit of heat on Gautam Gambhir as the players seem to enjoy VVS' aura and presence in the change room,” AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

De Villiers stated that he believes Laxman is pushing for Gambhir’s head coach job based on recent results. Laxman will also be at the helm when India competes in the upcoming Asian Games 2026 in Japan.

“There seems to be a competition. You think you take a break and rest a little bit to man-manage yourself. And the next minute you realise that the players are enjoying someone else's presence perhaps a bit more. Maybe there is something there with Laxman pushing Gambhir and forcing his hand too," said De Villiers

Gambhir’s two-year stints have given the Indian team mixed results. India won two ICC tournaments in the Champions Trophy 2025 and the T20 World Cup 2026 and also the Asia Cup in 2025. However, India has stumbled badly in Test cricket.