Gautam Gambhir’s record as head coach has more reds than expected

Gautam Gambhir’s start as India head coach has shown more red flags than expected – is his approach truly working for Team India?

There was a lot of excitement in the air when Gautam Gambhir took over as the Team India head coach in July 2024, succeeding Rahul Dravid.

Gambhir’s stint till now has delivered glittering results, but only in white ball cricket – an ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai followed by an Asia Cup triumph at the same venue against underwhelming oppositions.

But when you shift the spotlight to the real benchmark of leadership – Test cricket, the picture turns bleak. India were sitting comfortably atop the 2024 World Test Championship standings, virtually assured of a place in the final when he assumed charge.

Four months later, that certainty had evaporated. The campaign unravelled dramatically, with India collapsing to six Test defeats, three shockers at home against New Zealand and three more in Australia, leaving what once looked like a dream run in complete disarray.

Overall, numbers in Test cricket under Gambhir have been extremely poor. India have played 19 Tests under him, winning only seven and losing ten, with just two draws, and their only series wins have come against Bangladesh and West Indies.

India’s recent Test slide
Since Gambhir took over after Dravid, India’s Test graph has pointed sharply downwards, especially at home where they were once almost unbeatable. India have suffered a 0-3 whitewash at home to New Zealand, a rare series defeat in India, and a 1-3 loss in Australia, alongside losses in England and South Africa (0-2) that have eroded their aura as a top red‑ball side.

The pattern across India’s last ten Test series is telling; apart from straightforward wins over Bangladesh and West Indies, they have either lost or been stretched in most contests against top‑tier sides like New Zealand, Australia, England and South Africa.

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Series by series performance under coach Gautam Gambhir

Shastri era: benchmark of excellence
Ravi Shastri’s tenure set a very high benchmark. Across 46 Tests as head coach, India won 28, lost 13 and drew five, giving him a win percentage of about 60.9% – the best among India’s modern coaches. Under him, India won back‑to‑back Test series in Australia, dominated at home against almost every visiting team and regularly competed in tough away tours in England and South Africa.

The series list under Shastri tells its own story: clean sweeps against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, West Indies and South Africa at home, and landmark wins like the 2-1 triumphs in Australia in 2018–19 and 2020–21 that reshaped India’s Test identity. Even in losing campaigns, such as the 4-1 defeat in England in 2018 or the 2-0 in New Zealand in 2020, India were competitive and rarely looked tactically lost or under‑prepared.

How low India have fallen
Comparing the two eras highlights how much India have “stooped” in Tests. Under Shastri, India built a fearsome home fortress and a tough, disciplined away unit that knew their roles. Under Gambhir, even home series have started to look fragile, with four home defeats in eight Tests – almost unthinkable a few years ago. The sheer frequency, scale of batting collapses and tactical blunders now stand in stark contrast to the structured, process‑driven approach of the previous regime.

India’s current Test squad looks unsettled: frequent changes in the XI, muddled batting orders, and questionable declarations or field settings have all contributed to losing positions in matches that once would have been closed out clinically. For a side that recently topped the Test rankings and reached major ICC Test finals, this decline is both stark and alarming.

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Coaching staff and suitability for Tests
The issues are not just about Gambhir alone; the entire Test coaching ecosystem appears misaligned with India’s red‑ball needs. Ryan ten Doeschate and Morne Morkel bring solid playing experience but limited deep familiarity with Indian domestic conditions and Ranji‑level nuances, which historically have underpinned India’s robust Test bench. The result is a backroom group that seems more tuned to short‑format thinking than to grinding, session‑by‑session Test strategy.

Reports and analyses have repeatedly pointed out T20‑style aggression in selections and tactics: a revolving‑door middle order, over‑attacking fields when control is needed, and a tendency to chase “impact” players rather than building a stable Test core. That may work in white‑ball cricket, where Gambhir has delivered trophies like the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup, but it is clearly not translating into sustained success in five‑day cricket.

Time to move on in Tests?
Given the numbers and the eye‑test, the question is no longer premature: how long can India afford to persist with this Test coaching setup? With series defeats at home and away, and no clear red‑ball template, the cost of waiting could be another WTC cycle slipping away. White‑ball success cannot be the shield for a prolonged Test crisis, especially in a country where Test cricket still shapes legacy.

India may soon need to bifurcate roles more sharply and bring in a Test‑specific head coach and support staff who understand Indian conditions, domestic structures and the long‑form temperament, while leaving Gambhir to focus on white‑ball where his methods are clearly more effective. On evidence so far, the time to seriously consider moving on from Gambhir as Test coach is fast approaching, if not already overdue.

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