‘Gautam Gambhir not a coach but team manager’:Kapil Dev takes indirect dig at India coach amid mounting criticism

India’s first World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev has made a massive comment on Gautam Gambhir, stating that the latter was not a coach but a team manager. He was speaking at the ICC Centenary Session of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in Kolkata on 18 December. Kapil’s comments have come at a time when Gambhir has come under fire after India were handed a humiliating 0-2 whitewash at home. He has been criticised for constant player rotation and dependence on all-rounders. ‘Gambhir not a coach but team manager’: Kapil Dev Kapil stated that the word ‘coach’ is misunderstood and is a common term in modern-day cricket. “Today, that word called a coach… coach is a very common word today. Gautam Gambhir can t be a coach. He can be a manager of the team,” he said. “When you say coach, coach is where I learn in the school and college,” Kapil stated, adding, “How can you be a coach when they have given a name to let’s say anybody a leg spinner? How can Gautam coach a leg spinner or wicket-keeper?”
Also read: KL Rahul, Prasidh Krishna headline Karnataka’s Vijay Hazare Trophy squad:BCCI’s strict rule for players to feature in domestic tournaments, Mayank Agarwal named captain Kapil Dev says managing and encouraging players more important The 1983 World Cup-winning captain further added that encouraging players is more important. “I think you have to manage. That’s more important. As a manager, you give them encouragement to say you can do it because when you become a manager, the young boys look up to you.” “How my manager or captain can give me that comfort and that’s what the manager and captain’s job is — to give comfort to the team and always say you can do better. That’s the way I look at it.” Also read: Ishan Kishan led Jharkhand win SMAT 2025 final by 69-runs:Maiden title victory for the state with Ishan’s 101(49); Krishna, Sushant scalp 3-wickets each The 66-year-old further emphasized that his philosophy was to back players who were in a lean phase. “I think you have to give comfort to the people who are not playing well. If somebody made a hundred, I don’t want to have a drink and dinner with him,” he said. “There are a lot of people there… As a captain, I would like to have a drink with people, or I like to have dinner with people who are not performing. “You need to give them the confidence and that’s what happens. So I think it’s very important as a captain and your role is not only your performance, it is also about putting the team together.” Mixed results under Gambhir India have had mixed results across three formats with Gambhir as head coach. While the Men in Blue have attained success in white-ball formats, their performance has been forgettable in Tests. Last year, India were whitewashed 0-3 at home by New Zealand and it was followed by a 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.