Gautam Gambhir, India’s head coach, opens up about the emotional challenges of leading Team India, including lonely nights and the pressures behind the scenes.
T20 World Cup 2026: “You Go Through a Lot.." - Gautam Gambhir Opens Up On Challenges As India Coach | Image Source: AFP
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir's time as the head coach of the Indian cricket team has been no less than a roller-coaster ride, full of ups and downs. While the Men in Blue have won some major tournaments, the results have not gone in India's favor as the team faced a tough time early in its tenure.
Gautam Gambhir started his stint as the head coach of the Indian cricket team on a disastrous note with a 2-0 series defeat to Sri Lanka in July 2024. This was Sri Lanka's first bilateral ODI series win over Team India in 28 years. The challenges continued in October when the team suffered a 3-0 Test series defeat to New Zealand at home. That defeat was particularly shocking as it ended India's long run of dominance at home. It was India's first Test series defeat at home in 12 years. Things went worse for the Indian side as they lost the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia following a 3-1 loss Down Under.
Despite some bad results, there have been a few big positives for Gautam Gambhir as India's head coach. The team won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the Asia Cup 2025, which were major achievements. Following these wins, the Indian side managed to draw against England in a five-match Test series in England last year.
After eighteen months in charge of the Men in Blue, Gautam Gambhir has opened up about his journey so far. With his team currently playing in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, Gautam Gambhir has also opened up about his personal side of coaching. He admitted that the job has come with many lonely nights, reflecting how emotionally draining and demanding the job of a head coach can be behind the scenes.
In a video shared by the BCCI via their official social media handles, Gautam Gambhir said, "Home is love, home is where your family is, and obviously, home is where you get peace as well. For me, home has always been really special. Obviously, it's tough because you go through a lot of lonely nights as well, you go through a lot of nights where things don't go your way,"
He added: "It is sometimes a very challenging profession as well, so when you have got your trusted support staff, they become as close as your family, because you can share a lot of emotions with them."
India kicked off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a 29-run win over the USA on 7 February. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the team will next face Namibia in Delhi on Thursday. After that, India will take on Pakistan on 15 February and the Netherlands on 18 February in their remaining group stage matches.
Further, speaking on the atmosphere within the Indian team camp, Gautam Gambhir said: "In fact, when you are in this profession, you share a lot more emotion with them as compared to what you share with your family. They know the ups and downs of this profession, they know how it feels when things don't go your way."
"There have to be moments where the guys can be themselves, there have to be funny moments somewhere in the practice sessions or in the dressing room. Everyone has a funny side, so we make sure that we try to get the fun side out of everyone, and that is something that will keep the atmosphere light as well," he explained.
India is second in Group A of the T20 World Cup 2026 with two points. Pakistan leads the group with four points after wins over the Netherlands and the USA. The top two teams from each group will move on to the Super Eight stage.
