Gautam Gambhir (ICC photo) NEW DELHI: Rarely seen smiling, Gautam Gambhir has a reputation as a tough taskmaster. His aggressiveness, celebrations and constant engagement – from offering tips to players to applauding milestones and victories – along with his blunt remarks in press conferences are prime examples that define his earnest demeanor.However, former India captain Sourav Ganguly has a different opinion.
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CSK is organizing a fan engagement event in Chepauk ahead of IPL 2026 While Ganguly acknowledged Gambhir’s no-nonsense and aggressive attitude, he described him as a “good man” and said he doesn’t have to be rude or abusive.Gambhir was appointed as the head coach of the Indian team in July 2024, succeeding Rahul Dravid, who led India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title.Under Gambhir, India won the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup and also successfully defended their 2026 T20 World Cup crown by defeating the New Zealand national cricket team in the final.“Gambhir is a T20 World Cup winner, a Champions Trophy winner, he is a great 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 defeat at home against New Zealand last year, followed by a 1-3 series defeat in Australia. The five-match series against England ended in a 2–2 draw in England. India then recorded a 2-0 clean sweep against the West Indies, but suffered another home lime, losing 0-2 to South Africa.Ganguly expressed confidence that Gambhir will improve as a Test coach in the near future.“He will improve in Test matches and mainly take good wickets. If you take good wickets, he will also be a good Test match coach. In India, he plays too much on turning pitches. 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 dominated the white-ball format), so I’m looking forward to the 2027 World Cup. He has to find a way to improve there because his batting is amazing in these conditions, but when he seems to bounce back, that’s where he gets his boys better. Before they went to Australia, they were saying Gambhir blew a chance, Gambhir blew. I’m sure he’ll do it, he’s a competitor,” he said.
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“You know he can be rude but he’s a competitor. He doesn’t have to be rude because you know he’s a good man. I’ve seen Yaar play with him for India but he’s a competitor. He wants to win,” he said.“He says the right things about his team, he tries to create a team environment, not individuals. So he’s good, but I think he will be. His biggest test will be when he starts to leave and that’s something he has to handle and I’m sure he’ll handle it,” he added.
