Sanjeev Kumar
khelja|17-11-2025
Gautam Gambhir's coaching record (Photo: PTI)
Gautam Gambhir as Team India Head Coach: The announcement of appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of Team India was made on 9 July 2024. In July 2024 itself, he took command for the first time in the white ball series against Sri Lanka. But, here we will only talk about those 13 months that Gautam Gambhir spent coaching India in red ball cricket. Gambhir's first Test series as the head coach of Team India was against Bangladesh in September last year. The beginning in Test cricket started with the victory of coach Gambhir.
But then in the next 13 months, Team India had to see such days in Tests, which it had never seen before.Caught in their own trap against New Zealand and South Africa
Under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir, Team India got its first major setback in red ball cricket in the home Test series against New Zealand. India was swept in the 3-match Test series and for the first time, the New Zealand team was successful in winning the Test series in India. This happened when the spinning track as asked by Team India was made and given.
New Zealand's Ram Kahani seems to be declining in the Test series against South Africa under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir with Team India.
For this series also, Gautam Gambhir and the team management demanded a spin track in Kolkata. He got the pitch he wanted by making it. But the result was the same which was seen against New Zealand. South Africa was successful in winning the Test on Indian soil after 15 years.What did not happen under Gambhir's coaching also happened.
From the setback against New Zealand to losing the first Test against South Africa, other big incidents also happened with Team India in Test cricket.
Like their streak of not losing a Test in Manchester was broken after 13 years, they had to lose the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after 10 years, for the first time Team India could not qualify for the WTC final. Under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir, India also became the first team, which had to face defeat in a test match even after scoring 5 centuries.Team India is no longer the lion of the house
But amidst so many failures, the biggest shock that Team India faced under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir is that the tag of being the lion of the house has started fading in Tests.
Why is this so, understand it from this figure. From 2024 till now, i.e. during Gambhir's coaching, India has played 8 Tests in India, out of which 5 have been lost. Out of these, 4 defeats have come in the last 6 tests. If we talk about the year 2011 to 2023, India has played 41 Tests at home and lost only 5 of them. There have been 9 draws.Gambhir cannot compete with Shastri and Dravid
Under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir in 13 months, India has played 18 Tests, out of which it has won 7 and lost 9. There have been 2 test draws. Gambhir's victory ratio is only 0.77.
You can also get an idea of how Team India's performance has declined under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir by looking at the test figures of his previous coaches, Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid.Under the coaching of Ravi Shastri, India played 45 Tests, winning 25 while losing 13. The win ratio under Shastri's coaching is 1.92.
Under the coaching of Rahul Dravid, India played 24 tests, out of which they won 14 and lost 7. Dravid's victory ratio as a coach is 2.
It is clear that under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir, the Indian Test team has achieved less and lost more. Now in such a situation, questions are being raised on his continuing as coach, so the reason for that is also justified.
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