India’s Sanju Samson (C) celebrates with his coach Gautam Gambhir (L) after their team’s 2026 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup T20 final match against New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad March 8, 2026. (AFP) NEW DELHI: Gautam Gambhir is a true Delhi boy. He wears his heart on his sleeve.And you can’t even blame him. There is a saying in Delhi cricket that playing for India is much easier than playing for Delhi. You have to be tough enough to survive in the Delhi cricket ecosystem. Gambhir not only survived but also led Delhi to triumph in the Ranji Trophy in 2007. He went on to become one of India’s best openers across formats.
T20 World Cup: Gautam Gambhir, Suryakumar Yadav after Team India’s win
Gambhir was India’s MVP in their two World Cup triumphs: the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup. He came up big on big occasions in both finals. Whether it was his 54-ball 75 against arch-rivals Pakistan in Johannesburg or the crafty 97 that steered India to victory in Mumbai four years later, Gambhir has emerged as a force in ICC tournaments. Now he has added the World Cup to his resume as a coach. We must not forget the Champions Trophy and his IPL exploits as a captain and mentor.Gambhir has always shown the stomach for a fight. He is often remembered for those two knocks in the World Cup final, but to truly understand Gambhir, one has to look at his marathon knock in Napier in 2009. Gambhir batted for 643 minutes, over 10 hours and faced 436 balls, making 137 and securing a draw for India.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir looks on during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup India vs Sri Lanka 2026 final between India and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium on March 8, 2026 in Ahmedabad, India. (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
Stubbornness has been Gambhir’s defining characteristic and has always been evident in his personality.There is a saying in Delhi cricket that if Gambhir trusts you, he will back you to the hilt.Before Suryakumar Yadav became the toast of Mumbai Indians, it was under Gambhir at KKR that he realized his pedigree and became the vice-captain of the Kolkata franchise. Surya has now become only the fourth Indian captain to win the World Cup.Sticking with Sanju Samson despite the batter not working and continuing to support Abhishek Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy – two world No 1s who have struggled in the World Cup – are just a few examples.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir and Varun Chakravarthy of India during the India Men’s T20 World Cup India v Sri Lanka 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on February 23, 2026 in Chennai, India. (Photo: Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
During KKR’s 2024 title, he spotted Ramandeep Singh training in the gym while others celebrated their first tournament win. He spoke to Ramandeep the next day, explaining his batting role at Nos. 7 and 8 and assured him that he would play all the matches. Ramandeep proved pivotal in KKR’s campaign and the Punjabi all-rounder even played for India.Then there is Harshit Rana. The keyboard warriors have kept their knives sharp, but Rana has grown in confidence and now it looks like a million dollar investment. Even though the Delhi pacer was injured before the start of India’s campaign, Gambhir finally had a bowler who could also swing those crucial 20 runs with the bat.There is also an interesting story about Ayush Badoni. When Vijay Dahiya urged Gambhir to call up Badoni for the Lucknow Super Giants trials, the current Indian coach drove down to the local ground where Badoni was practicing and watched him quietly for an hour. Badoni had no idea. Later that evening, he got a call for the LSG tryouts. Now he too is on the fringes of the national team.Gambhir went to war with the likes of the late Bishan Singh Bedi and Chetan Chauhan for Navdeep Saini. After just 15 minutes of watching him bowl, Gambhir concluded that Saini was a rare talent who needed to be groomed properly.“Kudos to Navdeep Saini on your India debut. Already got two wickets before you even bowled @BishanBedi and @ChetanChauhanCr. Their middle stumps are gone to see the debut of a player whose cricketing obituary was written before he stepped on the field, too bad!!” Gambhir wrote in 2019 after the Delhi pacer made his India debut.Former India Under-19 World Cup captain and Delhi opener Unmukt Chand believes there is no one like Gambhir when it comes to instilling confidence in a cricketer.“If he supports someone, he really supports that player. There are many examples. He made Suryakumar Yadav as vice-captain. It was a very unusual thing then. When you know you are valued so much in your team, your performance improves. Once you get rid of the fear of failure, you thrive,” Unmukt told TimesofIndia.com.Gambhir barely smiles. His face rarely reveals what he is thinking or feeling. He was always a man of few words.Former India coach Ravi Shastri, while calling India’s victory, even teased the current India coach by saying, “Come on GG, show us that priceless smile of yours.”Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh took a spin with his coach and said, “Oh paaji kade has bhi liya karo yaar,” leaving Gambhir in splits.In his congratulatory post, MS Dhoni also teased his former teammate, “Coach sahab, smile suits you. Intensity with a smile is a killer combination.”In this one line, Dhoni summed up the man who helped him win two World Cup finals. When the stakes are highest and the stage is the World Cup final, Gautam Gambhir has a habit of showing up. “The first thing is that the players made me win. I have been saying for a long time that you are as good a coach or as good a captain as your players. So I think the credit has to go to the players. The manner, the professionalism and most of all the bravery with which this tournament was played,” Gambhir said at the post-victory press conference.As a player, he had a habit of turning the biggest nights into his own, but after his first taste of World Cup glory as a coach, Gambhir stepped aside to let the players enjoy the limelight.
