Gautam Gambhir became the first person in the history of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup to win the title as both a player (2007) and a coach (2026) after India beat New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium to successfully defend their T20 World Cup crown.
With this win, Gambhir also maintained his unbeaten record in ICC finals as both a player and a coach. India, who became the first ever side to defend their T20 World Cup title under Gambhir, will also help answer some of the criticism leveled at the Indian coach, particularly over his bold tactics and controversial selections. It is Gambhir’s fourth ICC trophy overall – two as a player and two as a coach.
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Long before his success as a coach, Gambhir built a reputation as one of India’s most reliable performers in ICC finals. His first appearance at the global summit came in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, where he played a key role in India’s triumph. Opening the batting against Pakistan, the left-hander scored a composed 75 off 54 balls, anchoring India’s high-pressure innings as the side lifted the inaugural T20 World Cup title.
Gambhir once again delivered on the biggest stage four years later in the final of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. Sri Lanka’s target chase in Mumbai, India was shaken early by the dismissal of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. Gambhir, coming in under immense pressure, played a gritty 97, falling just three runs short of a century, but settled the innings before MS Dhoni brilliantly completed the chase with an unbeaten 91.
A few years later, Gambhir returned to Indian cricket in a new role. Soon after the team’s triumph in the 2024 ICC Men’s Under-20 World Cup, he took over as India’s head coach across all formats, replacing Rahul Dravid, whose tenure ended after the tournament.
His first ICC assignment as head coach came for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and Gambhir made an immediate impact. Under his leadership, India went through the tournament unbeaten and defeated New Zealand in the final win the Champions Trophy after 12 years of waiting.
Under Gambhir, India have adopted an ultra-aggressive approach in T20Is, regularly pushing the rate of scoring beyond conventional limits. Since the inception of T20 internationals, India have scored 200 or more on 50 occasions, with 16 of those coming in the last 20 months. During the same period, India crossed the 250-run mark six times and also posted their highest total of 297.
During Gambhir’s tenure, the average strike rate of Indian batsmen was 158.09 – the highest among the full-fledged members. The head coach has taken the philosophy of aggressive intent introduced during Rohit Sharma’s captaincy up a few notches.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
March 8, 2026 10:49 PM IST
