Gautam Gambhir’s appointment as the head coach of the Indian cricket team was always meant to shake things up. Going from Rahul Dravid, who’s loved worldwide, to Gambhir, someone who people love or love to hate, wasn’t going to be a smooth ride. And it hasn’t been.
Right from the get-go, it was clear that Gambhir wanted to set new rules. Six months into his tenure, reports emerged that he wants to end ‘superstar culture‘. In fact, during his tenure, Gambhir has often stated that Indian Cricket values certain players instead of the team.
Whether it’s coming from a personal place, feeling he wasn’t credited enough for his 97-run knock in the 2011 World Cup final, or it’s a belief he has held always, one can’t know. But it’s a hill Gambhir is willing to die on.
Gautam Gambhir vs superstar culture
Right after Sanju Samson’s 97-run knock took India to the T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal, Gambhir used the knock to ‘knock down’ the superstar culture. The Indian head coach stated that had Shivam Dube not hit 2 fours in the 19th over, India might’ve lost, and Samson’s innings would’ve been forgotten.
“Glad you’re talking about every contribution, because for too many years, we’ve only spoken about certain contributions. This is a team sport, and this will always remain a team sport. For me, I think Shivam’s two boundaries are as important as Sanju’s 90, because if he hadn’t been able to hit those two boundaries, probably that 97 you wouldn’t have even spoken about. So, it’s not only about 97 – yes, he played a special innings, but those small contributions actually help you win games as well,” Gambhir told reporters in Kolkata.
It was clear that his point was that whoever gets the most runs often gets the limelight, while others, like Dube or Tilak Varma, get forgotten. And Gambhir won’t let that happen, at least until he’s in charge of the Indian team.
“The big contribution makes headlines. The small contribution, the contribution that can help the team win and cross that line, is going to be very important. And that’s why I say that this is going to be the philosophy going forward till I am there,” he added.
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