India clinched a stunning come from behind victory at The Oval to draw a close to the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy. While India levelled the series in England, it was far from perfect for the Men in Blue and coach Gautam Gambhir. India have now failed to win their last 3 Test series, raising serious questions on the India’s future in the format.
Gambhir took over Rahul Dravid and has since pushed through a transition in Indian cricket. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin have retired, while the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammed Shami and Ajinkya Rahane have been swatted aside. It hasn’t been a smooth ride, with India winning only 5 of their 15 Tests under Gambhir. Two of their wins came against Bangladesh at home.
Gautam Gambhir’s coaching tenure highlights
- Took over from Rahul Dravid after India’s T20 World Cup win in 2024
- Won the Champions Trophy in March 2025
- Lost 3-0 at home to New Zealand in Tests, their first loss at home in 12 years
- Lost Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia 3-1
- Retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin – Mohammed Shami out of favour
- Shubman Gill appointed captain in Tests
Gambhir took over the coaching stint after leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title. The former India opener has helped India adopt an aggressive approach in limited overs cricket. In 26 matches, India have won 21 games with 1 tied game. India bagged the Champions Trophy earlier this year. India have a 90% win rate in T20Is under Suryakumar Yadav with the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma having established themselves in the set up.
Red ball struggles and questionable tactics
Everything Gautam Gambhir has tried in limited overs cricket has paid dividends so far. However, that is not the case so far in red ball cricket. India’s ability to draw the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy could be despite Gambhir’s questionable tactics and not proactive coaching.
India started the GG era with a home series win over Bangladesh, which remains their only series win under his tenure. A humbling home series loss to New Zealand opened a new set of problems with the tours of Australia and England haven’t been able to rectify.
To Gautam Gambhir’s credit, the decision to make Shubman Gill Test captain seems to be paying off. He finished the England series with 754 runs breaking a number of records. The likes of Dhruv Jurel, Akash Deep and Washington Sundar have all performed admirably since GG took over.
However, Gambhir’s tactical nous has been questionable. India opted against fielding Kuldeep Yadav and Abhimanyu Easwaran for all 5 Tests in England and Australia. A revolving No.3 dilemma hasn’t resolved with as many as 7 options tried in the last 10 Tests. Gambhir’s penchant for all rounders has often left the team handicapped in search of wickets.
A record of 5 wins in 15 Tests is grim even for an Indian side in transition. If the England series is any indication, the young stars are ready to take the mantle. Whether, Gautam Gambhir and his coaching staff can provide them with the right direction remains to be seen. India axed Abhishek Nayar after their Border Gavaskar Trophy debacle. The positions of Ryan ten Doeschate and Morne Morkel seem to be in the balance as per reports.
Gambhir has a contract running until the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. A World Test Championship final and a T20 World Cup are also on the horizon till his deal runs out. The ex-KKR coach has lived up to his potential in white ball formats, but has work to do when it comes to the 5-day game.
India under Gautam Gambhir
| Opponent | Home/Away | Format | Result | Captain |
| Bangladesh | Home | Tests | 2-0 W | Rohit Sharma |
| Bangladesh | Home | T20I | 3-0 W | Suryakumar Yadav |
| Sri Lanka | Away | ODI | 2-0 L | Rohit Sharma |
| Sri Lanka | Away | T20I | 3-0 W | Suryakumar Yadav |
| New Zealand | Home | Tests | 3-0 L | Rohit Sharma |
| South Africa | Away | T20I | 3-1 W | Suryakumar Yadav |
| Australia | Away | Tests | 3-1 L | Rohit Sharma/Jasprit Bumrah |
| England | Home | T20I | 5-0 W | Suryakumar Yadav |
| England | Home | ODI | 3-0 W | Rohit Sharma |
| Champions Trophy | Neutral | ODI | Winners | Rohit Sharma |
| England | Away | Tests | 2-2 | Shubman Gill |
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