India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has responded to critics after the team’s recent T20I losses. He said a few bad results do not make the players bad or the team weak. He pointed to India’s success between World Cups. India won the 2026 T20 World Cup. Then they lost the T20I series to Ireland and England. The loss to Ireland was India’s first T20I series defeat since the 2023 tour of the West Indies. It was also the first of Gambhir’s tenure and the first ever to Ireland. The BCCI reviewed the tour.
Since then, India have beaten Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and Japan in seven matches. But concerns remain. Gambhir spoke on Jio Star. He asked which team in sports history has gone undefeated from one World Cup to the next and still won the World Cup. He said it did not take this team 17 years to win a second World Cup. It took them only 17 months to win a third. He said one bad series or three bad games do not make the players bad or the side bad.
It is notable that Gambhir mentioned 17 years. India won the first T20 World Cup in 2007. They won their second in 2024 under Rahul Dravid. That was a gap of 17 years.
The losses to Ireland and England came after Shreyas Iyer was promoted to T20I captain. Suryakumar Yadav was removed as captain. Gambhir also praised Iyer. He said Iyer puts the team’s needs ahead of his own batting position. Gambhir worked with Iyer at Kolkata Knight Riders during their IPL 2024 title win. He said the first quality of a good leader is selflessness. He said Shreyas has that quality.
…Reveals Sanju Samson’s England Snub Was His Toughest T20I Selection Call
India head coach Gautam Gambhir also opened up about a difficult selection call. He dropped Sanju Samson during India’s T20I series in England. Gambhir said it was the only night he could not sleep. He told Samson this himself. He called it the toughest decision of his coaching time in T20 cricket.
Samson was Player of the Tournament when India won the T20 World Cup. He was left out after the first match of the five-game series in England in July. India lost that opening game. Teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi came into the team for his T20I debut in Manchester.
Gambhir said the decision was very hard. Samson had done so much for the team. But Vaibhav was in great form. India needed to win the series. They needed runs at the top and a good platform. Gambhir had an honest talk with Samson. He explained the reasons. Samson took it well.
The call changed when India came home. They played three T20Is against Afghanistan. Samson returned to the team. Vaibhav was left out. Samson scored back-to-back fifties. India won the series 3-0.
Gambhir also explained that good form alone does not guarantee a place. He said social media and outside noise do not pick the team. The coach and captain choose the best XI. They look at who can win the match. They also consider players who have performed for a long time. If Vaibhav plays, someone else must sit out. That could be Abhishek Sharma or Sanju Samson. Gambhir said they cannot ignore a combination that has worked for one and a half to two years after just three or four failures.
He said young players sometimes have to wait. The team wants to create a secure dressing room. Gambhir said it is easy to make popular decisions. But it is harder to make the right ones. He believes they made the right call by sticking with Sanju and Abhishek. Vaibhav’s rise still adds a new option for India. But the established players cannot be dropped just because a young talent is doing well.
FAQs
Q. What did Gautam Gambhir say about India’s recent T20I losses?
A. Gambhir said a few bad results do not make India weak.
Q. Who is India’s current T20I captain?
A. Shreyas Iyer is the T20I captain.
Q. Why did Gambhir praise Shreyas Iyer?
A. Gambhir praised Iyer for putting the team before himself.
Q. Who was dropped for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in England?
A. Sanju Samson was dropped after the first match.
Q. What happened when Samson returned against Afghanistan?
A. Samson scored back-to-back fifties in a 3-0 series win.
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