‘Give some time, Gautam Gambhir is an excellent coach’:Sourav Ganguly backs India head coach in Tests ahead of IPL 2026

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir recently won his second ICC title by winning the T20 World Cup 2026. Earlier, under his coaching, Team India had also won the Champions Trophy in 2025. However, former captain Sourav Ganguly says that Gambhir’s real test will be in the 2027 ODI World Cup. ‘Real test will be in South African conditions’ – Sourav Ganguly
Former India captain, Sourav Ganguly, said in an interview that the 2027 World Cup will be played in South Africa and the conditions there will challenge both the team and the coach. He expressed confidence that Gambhir can perform well there with the current team. In the 2023 ODI World Cup, India had an unbeaten journey till the final but faced defeat against Australia in the final. Gambhir won the World Cup as a player in 2011, now he is under pressure to make India ODI world champions as a coach. 2027 World Cup could be the last chance for Rohit-Virat
The 2027 ODI World Cup is also considered very important for India’s two legendary players, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. It is being speculated that this could be the last World Cup of these two legends’ careers. In such a situation, Gambhir will also have the responsibility of giving these legends a memorable farewell. Ganguly’s advice on the pitch in Test cricket
Ganguly has given special advice to Gambhir regarding improving performance in red ball i.e. Test cricket. He said that Gambhir needs to think less about the pitch. Ganguly said, ‘’He needs to get the worry about wickets out of his mind. Just look at the England series, he couldn’t do anything about the pitch and the results are in front of everyone.”
He further added, “India does not need to play on spin-friendly (turners) pitches on home grounds. Good pitches will give good results.” ‘He is an excellent coach, give some time’ – Ganguly
In Support of Gautam Gambhir, Sourav Ganguly said, ‘He is a very good coach’. He reminded that before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy also, he had said that Gambhir needs to be given some time. According to Ganguly, ‘’He is very good as a white ball coach, especially in Indian conditions. He has an excellent team.” After the IPL 2026 season, Gambhir will focus entirely on Test and ODI cricket.