Former India pacer and current Delhi Capitals (DC) bowling coach Munaf Patel has lauded Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir's man management ability. Patel feels that Gambhir dares to take the harsh calls and speaks the truth. The World Cup 2011-winning pacer says that only Gambhir has the guts to say no to players of stature like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
“Just remember this, if a head coach like Gautam Gambhir is removed, then handling the players will become very difficult. He is a genuine person; he calls the truth as it is and many people don’t like that," Munaf said while speaking to The Times of India.
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“Everyone knows that if things go off track, he dares to drop that player. Man-management is the most important thing. And it isn’t easy. Try saying no to someone like Virat Kohli," Munaf added.
“Try saying no to Rohit Sharma. Tell me, how many people is Gautam Gambhir making enemies of just to coach the country?" he further added.
Gambhir stars as white-ball coach, red-ball record lacklustre
Gambhir took over as head coach after Rahul Dravid. India had won the T20 World Cup 2024, ending the ICC trophy drought. Under Gambhir, India’s Test team has been in disarray. India have lost Test series at home against New Zealand and South Africa. India didn’t qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final and the road to WTC 2027 final is uphill as well.
But, Gambhir’s record as Inida’s white-ball coach has been excellent in major tournaments, barring the bilateral ODI series. India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, T20 Asia Cup 2025 and T20 World Cup 2026 with Gambhir at the helm.
What’s next for Gambhir?
India will look to win the ODI World Cup after a wait of 16 years. The upcoming edition will be played in South Africa. So far, both Kohli and Rohit have been in sublime form in the format. It will be interesting to see if Gambhir makes major changes to the lineup close to the tournament similar to what he witnessed before T20 World Cup 2026 with vice-captain Shubman Gill getting dropped and Ishan Kishan making his way back to the team on the back of performances in domestic cricket.
Also, India need to be ruthless to be able to qualify for their third WTC final. They will resume their WTC campaign against Sri Lanka in August.