India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday (March 9) rubbished the talks of team atmosphere not being good in the dressing room under his tenure.

Gambhir has enjoyed success as India’s white-ball coach, winning the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup last year and defending the T20 World Cup title a couple of days back.

On the other hand, India’s Test graph has gone down with Gambhir at the helm, winning 7, losing 10 and drawing 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.

Rumours are also rife that the coach is not in good terms with some of the senior players. However, Gambhir countered all team atmosphere-related questions a day after India's T20 World Cup 2026 triumph.

"My philosophy is simple - if the majority of the team members are not happy with me, there is no point in me staying in that dressing room. If the majority is happy, I am doing the right job. If you report genuinely, you will know how the atmosphere of the team is. The Indian team's atmosphere can't stay hidden from anybody because there is so much scrutiny, limelight and media attention," Gambhir said in an interview with India Today.

"Yeh sab bekaar ki cheezein hain jab bola jaata hai ki team ka mahaul accha nahi hai (It's all rubbish when people say that the team atmosphere is not good). Neither I nor the captain has to say anything. If you follow us closely - from travelling to practice sessions to player interviews - you will know how the atmosphere of the side is," he added.

Gambhir went on to explain why India continued backing Abhishek Sharma during T20 World Cup. The left-handed opener, who had managed only 89 runs from seven innings prior to the final, rose to the occasion in the title clash against New Zealand by slamming the fastest half-century of the tournament.

Abhishek hammered his fifty in just 18 balls, eventually departing for 52 off 21. His knock, studded with 6 fours and 3 sixes, laid the foundation of India’s mammoth 255/5 in 20 overs, which proved to be too much for the Kiwis, who were bowled out for 159 in 19 overs.

"Look, you pick players based on trust and faith, not on hope. If you pick someone based on trust and faith, you cannot take that away after four or five matches. But if you pick someone only on hope, then you might lose that hope very quickly," Gambhir said.

"Whether it's Abhishek or any of the 15 players in that dressing room, we trust all of them. Whenever they get an opportunity at any stage of the competition, they will deliver for the team. The most important thing for this team was putting the team ahead of themselves," he remarked.