How has Gautam Gambhir fared as Indian cricket team's head coach so far?

When the former two-time World Cup-winning player Gautam Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid as the Indian cricket team’s head coach on July 9, 2024, expectations were high, especially as he was coming fresh off helping Kolkata Knight Riders lift the IPL trophy after 10 years in 2024. However, six months into his tenure, Gambhir’s run as head coach has been less than satisfying. Under him, India has played 26 international matches, winning 14, losing 10, drawing one, and playing one tie. While the overall numbers might suggest Gambhir has won more than he has lost, the key takeaway here is that almost 80 per cent of his wins have come in T20 internationals. But what do his numbers look like in all three formats? Take a look.

 

T20 Internationals 

Gambhir started his head coach tenure for the Indian team with the T20 series against Sri Lanka, which India won with ease by 3-0. He then helped India win 3-0 against Bangladesh and 3-1 against South Africa. He is currently with the team for a five-match T20 series against England, where the Men in Blue are leading 2-1 after three matches. India has remained undefeated in T20 series under Gambhir, and one win in the next two games against England in the ongoing series will be more than enough to keep the streak intact.

• Total T20 matches: 13
• Won: 11
• Lost: 2
• Tie: 0
• No result: 0

 

One Day Internationals 

Gambhir's second assignment as India’s head coach was a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which was also India’s only ODI series in 2024. India tied the first match but went on to lose the next two, as Sri Lanka registered their first ODI bilateral series win over India in 27 years.

• Total ODI matches: 3
• Won: 0
• Lost: 2
• Tie: 1
• No result: 0

 

Test cricket 

Gambhir’s tenure as India’s head coach in Test cricket started in the best possible way, as he helped the team beat Bangladesh 2-0. But trouble started soon after, as New Zealand handed India a 3-0 whitewash in his next Test series, which was India’s first-ever Test series loss at home in 12 years. Gambhir tried to change his fortunes in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, but despite India taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after the first match, they went on to lose three and draw one in the next four matches. India eventually lost the series 1-3, along with their chance to qualify for the final of the ICC World Test Championship for the third time in a row. This was also India’s first Test series loss against Australia in over a decade.

• Total matches: 10
• Won: 3
• Lost: 6
• Draw: 1
• No result: 0

 

Gambhir’s litmus test 

While Gambhir is currently under no pressure from the BCCI despite some disappointing results, his future as head coach could very well be decided by India’s performance in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy starting next month and the five-match Test series against England in June. By the time these two events conclude, Gambhir will have been India’s head coach for over a year, and the BCCI will be forced to take some important calls regarding the team's approach if India fails to impress on both occasions.