2 weeks ago
Gary Kirsten backs Gautam Gambhir as India coach amid scrutiny
Gary Kirsten is the cricket coach of Sri Lanka, and long ago he was India's coach when they won the World Cup in 2011.
Now Kirsten is telling everyone that Gautam Gambhir, the current coach of the Indian cricket team, is doing a great job.
Some people have been unhappy with Gambhir because India lost big Test series at home against New Zealand and South Africa.
But Kirsten says Gambhir has won two big ICC trophies for India, so his record speaks for itself.
Gambhir was also a great player, scoring an important 97 runs in the 2011 World Cup final.
Right now, the Indian team is in Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series that is important for reaching the World Test Championship final.
India are missing several injured players, including fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan.
India are fifth in the World Test Championship standings, with Sri Lanka just below them.
The first Test of the series starts on August 15 in Galle.
Sri Lanka head coach Gary Kirsten has publicly backed Gautam Gambhir as India coach amid scrutiny over his record.
Kirsten cited Gambhir's two ICC trophy wins — the 2025 Champions Trophy and 2026 T20 World Cup — and his IPL success.
Gambhir, India coach since 2024 when he replaced Rahul Dravid, has faced criticism over home Test series losses to New Zealand and South Africa.
Gambhir scored 97 runs from 122 balls in the 2011 ODI World Cup final, which India won under Kirsten's coaching.
India, missing injured players including Jasprit Bumrah and Sai Sudharsan, sit fifth in the WTC 2025-27 standings as the two-Test series in Sri Lanka starts August 15.
- Who
- India coach Gautam Gambhir and Sri Lanka head coach Gary Kirsten, with Kirsten publicly endorsing Gambhir.
- What
- Gary Kirsten backed Gambhir amid criticism over India's home Test series losses, citing his two ICC trophies and IPL success.
- Where
- Sri Lanka, where India are playing a two-Test series, with the first Test at Galle.
- When
- Ahead of the first Test of the India-Sri Lanka series, which starts August 15.
- Why
- Because Gambhir has faced scrutiny following home Test losses to New Zealand and South Africa, and the series is crucial to India's World Test Championship 2025-27 Final aspirations.
Gambhir's critics
Gambhir's supporters
Evaluating Gambhir's tenure as India head coach
Gambhir's critics
Gambhir has been criticised for India's Test series losses to New Zealand and South Africa at home, which have fuelled scrutiny of his coaching record.
Gambhir's supporters
Gary Kirsten says Gambhir is 'a fantastic coach' whose record speaks for itself, pointing to two ICC World Cup trophies (2025 Champions Trophy and 2026 T20 World Cup) and success in the IPL.
Key facts
- Coach backed
- Gautam Gambhir (India)
- Endorsement by
- Gary Kirsten, Sri Lanka head coach and India's 2011 ODI World Cup-winning coach
- ICC trophies under Gambhir
- 2025 Champions Trophy, 2026 T20 World Cup
- Gambhir's 2011 World Cup final innings
- 97 runs from 122 balls
- Took over from
- Rahul Dravid in 2024
- WTC 2025-27 record
- India 5th (4 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw in 9 Tests); Sri Lanka 1 win, 1 loss, 2 draws in 4 Tests
- Injured India players
- Jasprit Bumrah, Nitish Reddy, Akash Deep, Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar
- First Test start
- August 15 in Galle
Quotes
Gary Kirsten
Head coach of Sri Lanka, former Indian coach
“He’s a fantastic coach. He’s had incredible success. He has won a T20 World Cup (2026) and the ICC Champions Trophy (2025). He’s also had success in the IPL (Gambhir was the team mentor for the IPL 2024 champs, Kolkata Knight Riders). His record speaks for itself. I really enjoyed working with him when he was a player. He’s a smart cricketer, and I knew he’d have success as a coach”
livemint.com
“He [Gambhir] is a fantastic coach. He has had incredible success, won two World Cups [2025 Champions Trophy and 2026 T20 World Cup].”
wionews.com
Sources
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