India head coach Gautam Gambhir is facing criticism from all quarters after the team’s dismal performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. Gambhir’s approach to team management and player selection has come under scrutiny.

Recently, he got support from legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev. Kapil feels that it is the responsibility of the captain and the team to perform well on the field and the coach does not have much role in it.

The former India all-rounder also compared Gambhir’s working style to Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid. He believed that every coach had his or her own way of working, which he worked hard to implement during his tenure.

Also read: Shubman Gill withdraws from game to replace Rohit Sharma as India captain

Kapil Dev defends Gautam Gambhir

Kapil Dev spoke to Gulf News about Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India head coach so far. Kapil feels that the coach does not care about what happens on the field as the captain and the team are mainly involved in it.

“People’s expectations are high. The coach is not on the field, but the captain and the players are. The new coach will come up with his ideas and hopefully serve the country better. If he is not, then people will raise their fingers,” Kapil pointed out.

India’s performance in the Test series against Australia was far from satisfactory. The batsmen failed miserably against a world-class Australian bowling attack which, apart from Jasprit Bumrah, the leading wicket-taker in the series, looked inexperienced.

Kapil Dev compares Gautam Gambhir with Rahul Dravid, Ravi Shastri

Kapil Dev further compared Gautam Gambhir’s coaching style with that of former India coaches Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid. Kapil thinks Gambhir is a bad-tempered person who has his own way of dealing with certain things.

“(Gautam) Gambhir is a bit of a curmudgeon. He is different from Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid. Every coach has his own way of thinking, so we want him Do better for the country,” Kapil added.

Ravi Shastri is known as a great motivator and India reached many heights during his tenure. India won both Test series in Australia with Shastri as head coach, which was no mean feat.

Rahul Dravid, meanwhile, is a man who likes to deal with things calmly. Dravid likes to keep things under control and follow a certain process to manage his team. During his tenure, India won the 2024 T20 World Cup and finished as runners-up in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Gautam Gambhir tenure till date

Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India head coach has not been smooth sailing so far. The Men in Blue lost the ODI series in Sri Lanka after 27 years. A few months ago, India lost the Test series 0-3 to New Zealand.

It was India’s first home defeat in a Test series in 12 years and ended an incredible run. After the series against New Zealand, India lost the away Test to Australia after winning the first Test.