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10 defeats in 17 Tests: Should India end Gambhir's horrible stint and adopt split coaching?

Aakash Saini

Gautam Gambhir [Source: AFP]Gautam Gambhir [Source: AFP]

The stage is shattered, the curtains have fallen, and the applause has long fallen silent. India, once the undisputed masters of their own fortress, now walk off battered and bruised from a 0-2 humiliation at the hands of WTC winners South Africa at home.

In nearly 92 years of playing Test cricket at home, Team India has suffered only three whitewashes. Two of them have now occurred within the space of the past 12 months, marking an eerie echo that feels less like two bad series but more like an unwanted shift in balance.

Test cricket, as we all know and love, is not just a format; it's a beautiful craft. It breathes slower, punishes impatience and mostly rewards those who master the rhythm of time rather than the thrill of impact (England's occasional 'BazBall' success excluded, of course).

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir seemingly has a philosophy of thriving on urgency, of over-experimenting, something that tends to work in white-ball levels but not often in Test match cricket. And the results underline it, as the former cricketer is already two-in-two in multi-nation white-ball events, mirroring the legacy of his playing days when he shaped two World Cup triumphs and delivered match-defining knocks in both finals.

Here, we analyse why Team India and the BCCI should move away from Gautam Gambhir in Test cricket, and employ a new coach for the format to follow a split-coaching model.

Gautam Gambhir as Test coach: Two whitewashes and a growing concern

Gautam Gambhir was appointed as India's head coach back in July 2024, shortly after Team India lifted the 2024 T20 World Cup crown under Rahul Dravid. In Test cricket, he started off with a comprehensive 2-0 series win over Bangladesh, working alongside captain Rohit Sharma.

But that early calm soon met its first jolt of reality, as the very next assignment against New Zealand exposed cracks that could no longer be brushed aside. India lost the three-match Test series 0-3, their first-ever 0-3 whitewash at home and only the second-ever home whitewash of any kind. In the series-opener in Bengaluru itself, the famed Indian batting line-up got blown away for just 46 in nearly a session. The Indian players struggled throughout the series on spin-friendly surfaces, and what was expected to be their greatest ally suddenly became the very stage on which their technique began to unravel.

Team India also struggled with the pace and bounce in Australia, losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test series a couple of months later by a 1-3 margin, thus conceding the coveted title to Australia for the first time in a decade.

Gautam Gambhir record in Tests as India coach

Matches
Won
Lost
Draws
197102

While Team India did put up a fight against a depleted English side in an away series in mid-2025, and followed it up with an emphatic 2-0 result against West Indies, past demons came back to haunt against a quality opponent at home. 

Facing South Africa, a side that was just crowned World Test Champions, the Indians crumbled, unravelled and surrendered meekly on turning surfaces to lose the two-match series 0-2, where they suffered a record 408-run larruping in the decider at Guwahati.

Gautam Gambhir as ODI, T20I coach: His blueprint turns pressure into trophies

Gautam Gambhir's penchant for over-experimenting and tinkering with team combinations has so far clicked perfectly for the Indian team in white-ball cricket, at least in multi-nation tournaments. 

While his tenure began with a shock 0-2 ODI series defeat in Sri Lanka, the former Indian opener guided his troops to a 3-0 win over England at home in early 2025, shortly before anchoring them to an unbeaten 2025 ICC Champions Trophy crusade in the UAE, where Team India overcame some tense moments to defeat Australia and New Zealand.

India did fall short on its ODI return in October 2025 by losing 1-2 in a rain-marred 50-overs series in Australia, but fought back with a 2-1 T20I series win on the very same tour. Moreover, Team India under Gautam Gambhir is yet to lose a single T20I rubber, bilateral or multi-nation.

Gautam Gambhir record in ODIs as India coach

Matches
Won
Lost
Tied
14941

He and captain Suryakumar Yadav started off with a 3-0 T20I series win in Sri Lanka in mid-2024, continued their dominance with a 3-0 result against Bangladesh at home, and routed England 4-1 in February this year. 

At the 2025 Men's T20 Asia Cup, also in the UAE, the 'Men in Blue' won each of their seven matches, including thrice against Pakistan, to be crowned Asian Champions for the record ninth time.

Gautam Gambhir record in T20Is as India coach

Matches
Won
Lost
N/R
231922

England proved it, split coaching works!

The split-coaching model is already tried-and-tested on multiple occasions, including once successfully in recent memory by the England team. At a time when Brendon McCullum was busy revitalising the very nature of Test match cricket, their white-ball coach Matthew Mott silently guided England to a remarkable 2022 T20 World Cup win in Australia.

McCullum, on the other hand, prioritised result-oriented Tests for England ever since his appointment in mid-2022. His partnership with equally belligerent Ben Stokes helped England secure some breathtaking and record-breaking run-chases, especially against New Zealand and India at home in their first four matches as the new dynamic duo. Their 'BazBall' approach also worked in Pakistan and New Zealand, and they are yet to lose a single series at home.

All in all, England's success under Matthew Mott and McCullum, until the latter took on the nation's all-format coaching duties, underlines how split leadership can allow each format to flourish on its own terms.

India needs a Test specialist, not a one-size-fits-all coach

India's recent red-ball struggles have made one thing clear: Test cricket demands a specialist who lives and breathes its unique tempo, not necessarily a single coach stretched across every format. The BCCI do not need to replace Gautam Gambhir everywhere, as the former opener has already proven himself to be a formidable force while working alongside captain Suryakumar Yadav in T20Is and Rohit Sharma in ODIs.

A coach of VVS Laxman's calibre, or even former mentors like Rahul Dravid, Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble (should they be willing), could bring the patience, long-term vision and format-specific planning that India's Test cricket currently lacks.