Gautam Gambhir, appointed as India's head coach after Rahul Dravid's tenure ended post-T20 World Cup 2024, has faced criticism for India's poor results. Despite no prior coaching experience, Gambhir’s selection was influenced by his success as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor, who won the IPL under his guidance.

 Since taking over, India has struggled, losing an ODI series to Sri Lanka, suffering a home whitewash by New Zealand, and failing to capitalize on a 1-0 lead in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, leaving India needing a win in the final Test to retain the series and keep their World Test Championship hopes alive.

Reports suggest that Gambhir’s position as head coach could be in jeopardy if India's performance doesn’t improve, especially with the Champions Trophy approaching. A senior BCCI official anonymously stated that Gambhir’s future depends on the team’s results in upcoming matches. 

Additionally, concerns have emerged about Gambhir’s communication with players, which is reportedly not as effective as that of his predecessors, Rahul Dravid and Ravi Shastri. Many players have yet to fully trust his leadership, with some pointing out his lack of rapport with both seasoned and newer players.

It was also revealed that VVS Laxman, head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), was initially the BCCI’s preferred choice for the coaching role, but due to various constraints, Gambhir was ultimately appointed as a compromise.