Former India head coach Gary Kirsten has expressed worries about Gautam Gambhir’s rapport with the current Indian players, following Gambhir’s recent appointment as national team head coach. Gambhir takes over the post after Rahul Dravid’s term expired in June 2024.
Since his appointment, India’s experience has been mixed. In January 2025, the team experienced a huge loss as it lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia. However, under Gambhir’s leadership, India recovered to win the Champions Trophy 2025, their second ICC trophy in under a year, following their T20 World Cup victory.
Kirsten, who coached Gambhir during his playing days, pondered on the latter’s personality and questioned whether his approach is relevant to the present crop of Indian cricketers.
“I don’t know Gautam Gambhir, the coach, at all. I definitely enjoyed Gautam, the player. He has a roughness about him that is quite useful. I think he’s quite strong. But he has charm and style. The major question is if that personality and style resonate with Indian players.
That’s basically what it’s going to be about,” Gary Kirsten told the Indian Express.
“He has achieved success in the IPL. I recall when we separated the one-day and Test teams and made him the one-day captain against New Zealand before travelling to South Africa. “And he did an excellent job,” the former South African international added.
Kirsten, who coached India to victory in the 2011 ODI World Cup, shared his thoughts on Gambhir, a key player from that squad. The Delhi-born played a pivotal role in the final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai, scoring a memorable 97-run knock under enormous pressure that laid the foundation for Men in Blue’s most iconic triumph in World Cup history.
India enter Manchester in a do-or-die encounter
Speaking about the England tour, India currently trails 1-2 in the five-match series. The third Test saw a nail-biting finish, where India fell short by just 22 runs, failing to chase a modest target of 193. With the series heading into a decisive phase, the fourth Test is set to begin on July 23 at Old Trafford, Manchester. In case, the visiting team loses, they will have to let go the series as well. As a result, Shubman Gill & Co. will be aiming to bounce back.
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