Former India cricketer and 2007 T20 World Cup winner Joginder Sharma was pessimistic in his prediction for new Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir recently took over as Indian team head coach in July 2024 replacing Rahul Dravid.
His tenure as India's head coach began on an impressive note as India recently defeated Sri Lanka 3-0 in the T20I series. Gambhir has been handed a lengthy tenure, set to end in 2027. He will be at the helm during the 2025 Champions Trophy, WTC final, 2026 T20 World Cup, 2027 World Cup and WTC.
However, his 2007 T20 World Cup winning team member Joginder Sharma has opined that Gambhir will not be able to handle the Indian team for a long time and might not continue for long as India's head coach.
"Gautam Gambhir team ko sambhalne waala hai lekin par mera ye manna hai ki Gautam Gambhir jyada lambe samay tak tik nahi payega (Gautam Gambhir is the one to manage the team, but I believe that Gautam Gambhir will not be able to stay for a long time)," Joginder said during a Shubhankar Mishra's podcast.
"Kyunki Gautam Gambhir ke apne hi kuch faisle hote hain. Ho sakta hai kisi player se man motaaw ho jaye. Mai Virat Kohli ki baat nahi kar raha hun. Gautam Gambhir ke faisle kai baar aise ho jaate hain ki dusro ko pasand nahi aate (This is because Gautam Gambhir has his own decisions. He might disagree with a player. I am not talking about Virat Kohli. Many times, Gautam Gambhir's decisions are such that others do not like them)," Joginder added.
After Gambhir took over as India's head coach, Suryakumar Yadav pipped Hardik Pandya to become the new India T20I captain in a surprise move.
"Gautam Gambhir seedhi baat karne waala hai. Wo kisi ke paas jaane waala nahi hai. Gautam Gambhir chaplusi karne waala banda nahi hai. Usko credit dene waale hum log hain. Wo apna kaam karta hai, sacche dil se karta hai, badi imaandaari se karta hai. (Gautam Gambhir speaks directly. He is not someone who will go to anyone. Gautam Gambhir is not a person who flatters. We are the ones who give him credit. He does his work, does it sincerely, and does it with great honesty)," he said.
Here is the video:
