Rating Gautam Gambhir’s tenure in each format after 2 years as Team India head coach 

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir was officially appointed on July 9, 2024, and exactly two years into his stint, which has been a highly eventful one, there are still mixed opinions despite silverware. In his time at the helm so far, the Men in Blue won the Champions Trophy 2025 and T20 World Cup 2026 in convincing fashion to keep the country at the top of the perch.

However, much like his playing and captaincy days, controversies and criticism have not been hand-in-hand with Gautam Gambhir. Questionable decisions and claims have made him a polarising figure among fans and pundits, but his impact has been undeniable, especially for the way he took charge of revamping the T20I side.

On that note, let us rate Gautam Gambhir’s tenure in each format after 2 years as Team India head coach.

#1 ODIs (7/10)

Despite inheriting a team that almost won the 2023 ODI World Cup, and most of the players operating at the highest level, Gautam Gambhir has not been able to get the most out of them. The head coach has not managed to make the team an intimidating and near-invincible type like his predecessors. However, silverware in terms of the ICC Champions Trophy does tip the scales in his favor a touch.

Series defeats against Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Zealand, and the controversial decision to appoint Shubman Gill as ODI captain over Rohit Sharma, come across as the slight dips in Gautam Gambhir’s time as head coach in the format. But an overall impressive record of 15 wins and a tied result out of 23 matches,

Considering that ODIs have never been the focal point throughout Gautam Gambhir’s time as head coach, his real test, which will greatly affect his rating, is in the time to come, in the build-up to the ODI World Cup 2027. The decisions he takes and the results that the team eventually delivers will ultimately be Gambhir’s legacy in the format, instead of his first two years.

#2 T20Is (8.5/10)

Had Gautam Gambhir’s second anniversary as head coach arrived before the tour of Ireland and England, there is a chance he would have received an almost perfect score in this regard. However, the recent successive series defeats, to an extent which the Indian team has never witnessed before, has a negative impact on his rating.

Gautam Gambhir’s stint as Team India head coach began with the shortest format soon after the T20 World Cup 2024. Tasked with ensuring a successful title defence, the head coach, in trademark fashion, stamped his authority with a controversial call. Instead of Hardik Pandya, it was Suryakumar Yadav who was appointed Rohit Sharma’s successor.

The captain-coach pairing were on the same page, integrating players like Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Varun Chakaravarthy into the mix. All of these elements proved to be instrumental in Team India’s ruthless run to the T20 World Cup 2026, and a solid tournament to win the trophy for a third time.

With no series losses at all and ICC silverware on top of it, Gambhir had a dream run as T20 coach, but the recent run of concerning results, has changed things a touch. The successive losses to Ireland and England, a run of six matches without a win, and a botched leadership transition, have all contributed to Gambhir’s drop-off in score from a near-perfect one.

#3 Tests (3/10)

Barring a laudable effort in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in 2025 away from home, where Team India were actually unlucky to not walk away with a series win under new captain Shubman Gill in a difficult phase, Gautam Gambhir has not much to show for as a red-ball coach.

The back end of the previous World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, and the ongoing phase, have cost India’s red-ball credibility after two successive finals appearances. The generational home series loss against New Zealand, the unmitigated disaster that was the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia, and another home series loss against South Africa to indicate that the woes are far from over, are all stains in the team’s modern-day Test cricket history.

The nature of some of the home defeats, the radical dysfunction, instability, and experimentation have left Indian Test cricket in its worst spot in well over a decade. With the WTC 2025-27 finals also slowly slipping away unless he can inspire the players to conjure up a miracle in the second half of the cycle, Gambhir might have to settle for a negative legacy when he eventually leaves his role at the end of his contract.