After Dravid decided not to continue following the T20 World Cup, Gambhir quickly emerged as the frontrunner for the coaching position, especially after returning to the Kolkata Knight Riders as a mentor for the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) 2024 edition.Under his mentorship, KKR clinched their third IPL title in 2024.
However, former India cricketer and 2007 T20 World Cup winner Joginder Sharma believes Gambhir may not last long as 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, often remembered as an unsung hero of India’s 2007 T20 World Cup triumph, 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. It might happen that he has a disagreement 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, who bowled the last title-winning over in India’s T20 World Cup win in 2007, said.
“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.
After India won the series 3-0 against the Islanders, new coach Gambhir praised Suryakumar’s men for their tenacious Super Over win in the low-scoring third T20I, which secured a series whitewash, but he also called for consistent improvement on pitches that assist sharp turn.
“Guys, congratulations on a great series win. Congratulations to Surya as well, outstanding captaincy and performance with the bat. I asked for something before the start of the game, and you absolutely delivered it. This is what happens when you keep fighting and don’t give up,” Gambhir told the team in a dressing room chat shared by BCCI on ‘X’.
“These kinds of games happen, and the only way these key games can go in our favor is when we keep fighting for every delivery and every run, and this was a prime example,” he concluded.