‘Had it not been for Sanju Samson, would India have won?’: Sreesanth takes aim at Gautam Gambhir

Head coach Gautam Gambhir (PTI Photo) congratulated Indian wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, front centre. Former India pacer S Sreesanth has taken aim at head coach Gautam Gambhir, questioning the extent of the former opener’s contribution to India’s recent white-ball success, saying the players deserve far more credit for the team’s achievements.India enjoyed a remarkable run in limited-overs cricket under Gambhir, winning the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025, the Asia Cup and the T20 World Cup in 2026. After the World Cup triumph on home soil, Gambhir was widely praised for leading the team to yet another world title. However, Sreesanth does not believe that the success should be primarily attributed to the head coach.Speaking on The Lallantop’s ‘Host in the Newsroom’, the former fast bowler highlighted the contributions of the likes of Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav, suggesting they played a much bigger role in India’s campaign to win the World Cup.“When the team won the World Cup, all the credit went to Gambhir. But if Sanju Samson was not there, would we have won the World Cup? Suryakumar Yadav was not the captain and the bowling changes were not made at the right time, would we have won the match?” said Sreesanth.Samson emerged as one of India’s most prominent performers during the tournament. The wicket-keeper batsman, who was initially left out of the playing eleven for the opening matches, produced a sensational knock on his return to the side. He finished as player of the tournament, scoring 321 runs in five innings at an average of 80.25 and a strike rate of 199.37 as India secured their third T20 World Cup title.Suryakumar also captained the side during the successful campaign. Despite leading India to the trophy, he has since lost his place in the T20I set-up following a prolonged slump in form, with Shreyas Iyer taking over as captain.Sreesanth further played down the role of the head coach, arguing that the players and on-field leaders are ultimately responsible for key decisions during matches. He also pointed to former Indian pacer and current coach Ashish Nehru as an example of a more actively involved coach.“Was the coach deciding on the field? It’s fine when we have a coach like Ashish Nehra who stays involved,” he added.The former Indian cricketer also linked India’s recent struggles in Test cricket to Gambhir’s tenure. Calling for a different approach, Sreesanth questioned the team’s direction in the longest format and suggested a change was needed.“Change the coach, my friend. India needs a mentor, not a coach,” he said.The comments add to the growing debate about Gambhir’s influence as a head coach, even as India continue to enjoy significant success in white-ball cricket.