Report card of Gautam Gambhir’s 2 years as India coach:T20 WC glory, BGT humiliation, and challenging road ahead for ODI WC 2027

9 July 2026, today’s date, marks the completion of two years of Gautam Gambhir being Team India’s head coach, as he was appointed for the role on the same day in 2024. It was a complete transformation of the Indian cricket team, after which the Men in Blue went through a historic ups and downs with drastic changes in playing style and approach. Riding on the T20 World Cup 2024 high under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, the Indian team had bid farewell to Rahul Dravid as all-format head coach and Rohit-Kohli retiring from the shortest format of the game. However, after Gautam Gambhir took over the charge of the team, not only did India lose a fair share of bilateral series, but it also received a significant setback after Ro-Ko’s Test retirement. While the red-ball form dipped, India continued to assert dominance in white-ball cricket. Today, as 9 July marks two year anniversay of Gambhir’s stint as head coach, let’s take a look at the strategic guidance that has been acting as a double-edged sword for the Indian team. Monumental dip in red-ball form and humiliating losses 1. New Zealand’s first-ever Test series victory over India (2024): It was the inaugural Test series for India under the new dressing room guided by Gautam Gambhir, and the hosts suffered a historic clean sweep. The series not only ended India’s 12-year winning streak on home soil, but also recorded a 46-run collapse of Rohit’s men in Bengaluru that was Team India’s lowest-ever total in a home Test match. 2. Border-Gavaskar Trophy loss (2024-25): It was the red-ball series that triggered the collapse of the Indian dressing room. Wrapped in various controversies related to star players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and leaked chats from the changing room, this series not only witnessed India’s 1-3 loss on Australian soil but also halted Rohit and company’s consecutive victories Down Under. Moreover, legendary Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also announced his retirement mid-series, changing the landscape of the Indian team and cricket. 3. South Africa’s whitewash against India in India (2025): It was not just a whitewash in a two-match Test series, but the hosts also suffered their heaviest loss in the team’s history by runs (408) in Guwahati. After 25 years, South Africa came to India as the crowned owner of the WTC mace, and asserted dominance in the red-ball format. Humbled in white-ball bilateral series Red-ball cricket was not the only format, where India suffered humiliations; the ODI and T20I formats also took a toll, with the Men in Blue losing many one-day and T20 international series against minnows as well as the bigwigs. 0-2 Bilateral series loss vs Sri Lanka (2024): Sri Lanka’s bilateral whitewash of India marked team’s loss for the first time in bilateral ODI series defeat against Sri Lanka in 27 years. Moreover, India has also set a record by losing all 30 wickets across a three-match series for the first time in history. Notably, it was an away tour. No ODI victory in a calendar year (2024): Due to losses in Sri Lanka and particularly due to specific tournament scheduling, India concluded a calendar year without a single ODI match victory for the primary time in 45 years. 1–2 Series Loss vs Australia: India’s batting lineup was no match against the movement and bounce of Australian pacers like Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. On top of it, youngsters like Xavier Bartlett and Matthew Kuhnemann stunned the Men in Blue, resulting in a 1-2 ODI series loss Down Under. This series broke a rare ODI defeat at Adelaide after 17 years. New Zealand’s first-ever ODI series victory vs India in India: The 1-2 loss in the three-match series at home was the Men in Blue’s first-ever home ODI series decider loss against New Zealand. Even in the decider, apart from Virat Kohli’s century knock, no one from the Indian camp impressed, failing to even register a fifty apart from Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy’s rusty innings. 0–2 Series Loss vs Ireland (2026): An unprecedented low point where the national side suffered its first-ever single-match T20I defeat and initial bilateral series loss against Ireland. One of the most atrocious defeats as India were playing their first series in the shortest format as T20 World Cup champions and that too, under the new leadership of Shreyas Iyer. 125-Run Loss vs England (July 2026): The Indian team was dismissed for a mere 76 runs at Trent Bridge, registering its largest-ever T20I defeat margin by runs and its second-lowest total in T20I history. Medals covering tarnished legacy and dominance Despite historic losses in bilateral series, India have fared well in ICC tournaments, multi-nation tournaments, and some of the bilateral T20I series. Gambhir even became one of his kind as he became the first coach in Indian cricket history to achieve two separate primary ICC tournament trophies within his opening two years in charge. Consecutive T20 WC winner (2026): India were already favourites entering the tournament, and they faced struggles and came out victorious as consecutive T20 WC holders ICC Champions Trophy Winner (2025): After India’s ODI World Cup dream ended in 2023, Rohit Sharma not only first led to T20 World Cup trophy in 2024, but also ended the 12-year drought to claim the ICC Champions Trophy. The tournament was co-hosted by Pakistan and the UAE, but the Indian camp played all their games in the UAE due to cross-border tensions. ACC Asia Cup Champion (2025): Utilising the familiar UAE pitches, Team India played this tournament embroiled in controversies with Pakistan, especially due to Operation Sindoor and the ‘No Handshake’ row. It was a slow pitch where Gambhir’s spinners and ‘high-risk, high reward’ strategy paid off. T20I Series Sweeps against SL BAN (3–0): Under Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy, Team India secured 3-0 clean sweeps against both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh during the initial stages of Gambhir’s head coaching path. Away T20I Series Triumphs: Even in away conditions, Team India did not always falter. Rather, in 2025, they secured 3–1 series victories in South Africa (November 2024) followed by a comprehensive 4–1 series victory against England on foreign soil. T20 dominance over NZ and Australia: Team India formulated a comprehensive 4–1 T20I series win over New Zealand at home. And it just did not stop there, he also contested a 2–1 series triumph against Australia in away conditions. Test Series wins: Two-game Test series against Bangladesh and West Indies boosted morale for the Indian team that has been going through a transitional phase in the format. In both of the series, India whitewashed the series, winning both games with ease. Road ahead and conclusion It has been a rollercoaster ride for head coach Gautam Gambhir, with highs of consecutive T20 World Cup victory with Champions Trophy, and the Asia Cup title. However, Men in Blue’s performance against quality red-ball opponents and white-ball performance in away conditions is still troubling. Batters so used to flat decks in the IPL have collapsed in English conditions and need intense fine-tuning to make them worthy for their biggest task, attaining the 2027 ODI World Cup title, with the tournament to be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.