According to the former South African captain, an emotional coach may not bring the best out of a team.
While Gautam Gambhir has found success coaching India in white-ball cricket, the team has struggled in red-ball formats. There is ongoing debate about whether he is suitable as a Test coach. Now, South African great AB de Villiers has raised questions about Gambhir’s coaching style.
There is no hiding it — Gambhir is known for working with a lot of emotion. De Villiers believes that if this approach carries over into coaching, it may not benefit the team.
Under Gambhir, India won the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup. However, in their last three home Test series, they were whitewashed in two: a three-match series against New Zealand last November and a two-match series against South Africa this month.
Against the Proteas in Kolkata, India lost on a spin-friendly pitch by 30 runs. In Guwahati, they struggled on a sporting wicket and suffered a heavy defeat by 408 runs across two innings — their biggest loss by runs in Test history.
Following this decline, Gambhir’s coaching style has come under scrutiny, and de Villiers has joined the discussion. Speaking on former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube channel, he commented on Gambhir’s temperament.
“Regarding leadership as a coach, I don’t know exactly how GG (Gautam Gambhir) is. I know him as an emotional cricketer, and if he behaves like that in the dressing room too, I would say that’s a problem. Generally, an emotional coach is not good for the team. But it’s also not certain whether behind the scenes he is that kind of coach and that kind of leader.”
Under Gambhir, India managed a 2-2 draw in a five-Test series in England with a relatively ‘new’ team. But with their recent home performances, questions about his future have started to emerge.
