Head Coach Gautam Gambhir (Image: ANI) Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has described India head coach Gautam Gambhir as the “villain in the story” for opponents while hailing his leadership qualities and impact on Indian cricket.Gautam Gambhir’s contribution to Indian cricket is highly recognized by former South African captain Faf du Plessis, Gambhir led Kolkata Knight Riders to two IPL titles as captain and another in 2024 as their mentor. For the Indian cricket team, he won both the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the ODI World Cup in 2011. During his tenure as coach, India won the Champions Trophy in 2025 and the T20 World Cup in 2026. Du Plessis praised Gambhir for not caring what people think of him and focusing on maintaining high standards.
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A ‘villain’ for opponents, a leader for his team
Speaking to JioStar, du Plessis admitted that Gambhir’s personality on the field makes him a tough but respectable competitor.“Obviously, my view of Gambhir is very different from the guys who played with him. When he goes to play against him, he’s always the villain in the story. But you respect that. He’s so competitive. He doesn’t worry for a second that anybody likes him,” he said.“His job as a leader is to set high standards and have accountability in the dressing room. And that’s what good leaders do. You look from the outside, if you’re a leader or a guy playing against him, you want to beat him because he’s the opposition. But you respect the fact that he’s set such high standards,” he added.Du Plessis went on to point out that Gambhir sets the standard for any team he is in charge of and hailed the former India star as a “good leader” for the way he transformed KKR into a powerhouse side. “You can see it in the way he talks to the team, he sets the standard and he believes that if you stand your ground, I’ll be there for you. That’s what good leaders do,” du Plessis said. “They don’t slip in those standards. He has created that since his playing days, if you look at his record, you have to tip your hat and say, from a management perspective, KKR have been a stronger side with him,” Du Plessis said.
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Gambhir’s Stint as the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team
Since his appointment as India’s head coach in July 2024, Gautam Gambhir has overseen a period of historic success in limited-overs cricket but notable struggles in Test matches. Success as a coach Gambhir led India to their third title as they beat New Zealand by 96 runs in the final in Ahmedabad. Under his leadership, India became the first team to successfully defend the T20 world title. He led India to victory in Dubai, defeating New Zealand by 4 wickets in the final. This ended a gap of 12 years since India’s last Champions Trophy success. He secured India’s ninth Asia Cup title by defeating Pakistan by 5 wickets in the final held in the UAE.Bad results as a coachUnder Gambhir, India suffered historic home whitewash against New Zealand (0–3 in 2024) and South Africa (0–2 in 2025). India lost the 2024–25 series to Australia 1–4 and failed to qualify for the World Test Championship final for the first time.
