NEW DELHI: Gautam Gambhir is rarely seen smiling and carries the reputation of being a hard taskmaster. His aggression, celebrations, and constant involvement – from offering tips to players to applauding milestones and victories – along with his straightforward remarks in press conferences, are prime examples that define his serious demeanour.However, former India captain Sourav Ganguly has a different take.
While acknowledging Gambhir’s no-nonsense and aggressive approach, Ganguly described him as a “good man” and said he does not need to be rude or rough.Gambhir was appointed head coach of the Indian team in July 2024, succeeding Rahul Dravid, who guided India to the T20 World Cup 2024 title.Under Gambhir, India went on to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the Asia Cup, and also successfully defended their T20 World Cup crown in 2026 by defeating New Zealand national cricket team in the final.“He [Gambhir] is winner [of] T20 World Cup, winner Champions Trophy, he is a tremendous T20 coach,” Ganguly told Revsports.While Gambhir has been praised for India’s success in white-ball cricket, he has also faced criticism for the team’s struggles in the red-ball format.India suffered a 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand last year, followed by a 1-3 series defeat in Australia. The five-match series against England in England ended in a 2-2 draw. India then registered a 2-0 clean sweep against West Indies, but suffered another home whitewash, losing 0-2 to South Africa.Ganguly expressed confidence that Gambhir will improve as a Test coach in the near future.“He is going to get better in Test matches and most importantly play on good wickets. If you play some good wickets, he will be a good Test match coach as well. He plays too much on turning pitches in India. Look what he did in England on good pitches where he didn’t have control. So as a coach he should take the wicket out of his system,” Ganguly said.“In these conditions [he has mastered the white-ball format] , so I’m looking forward to the 2027 World Cup. He has to find a way to get better there because his batting is breathtaking in these conditions but when it seems when it bounces, that is where he is going to get his boys better. Before they were going to Australia they were saying Gambhir This, Gambhir That, I said give that fellow a chance. I said give that fellow a chance. So I am sure he will do it. He is a competitor,” he said.
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“You know he may be rude rough but he is a competitor. He does not need to be rude rough because you know he is a good man. I have seen Yaar played with him for India but he is a competitor. He wants to win,” he said.“He speaks the right things about his team tries to create an environment of team not individuals. So he is good but I think he will. His biggest test will be when he starts going away and that’s something which he has to which he has to master and I am sure he will,” he added.
