When Gautam Gambhir took over as the coach of the Indian National Cricket Team in July 2024, everyone anticipated big things to come, given the amount of experience that he had at his disposal, courtesy of successful IPL stints with KKR
However, all hasn’t been hunkry dory for the Men in Blue, especially in the oldest format of the game, with them losing two of the last four series that they have played at home, including their first-ever series loss against New Zealand.
To add to that, the team management hasn’t been smart in what they have said in post-match press conferences and interviews, and have used some harsh words for anyone who has criticised them and raised questions regarding team selection.
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This article talks about Gautam Gambhir and Ryan ten Doeschate’s statements that raised eyebrows.
Delusional World of Indian Cricket: Gautam Gambhir, Ryan ten Doeschate Statements That Raised Eyebrows
“Stay in your domain” (December 2025):
Out of the many statements made by Gautam Gambhir, one that caused maximum outrage when the head coach responded to the idea of split coaching given by Parth Jindal, the co-owner of the Delhi Capitals in IPL.
When asked about it, Gautam Gambhir said, “People also said things that have nothing to do with cricket. An IPL owner also wrote about split coaching. It is very important for people to stay in their domain. If we don’t go into someone’s domain, then they have no right to come into ours.”
“I am the same guy” (November 2025):
India’s Test performances have seen a significant dip under Gautam Gambhir’s coach especially at home, which has resulted in a lot of criticism for the team management.
The coaching staff hasn’t handled it well either, with them relying on the success of white-ball cricket, as evidenced by the fact that Gautam Gambhir was questioned about India’s 2-0 series loss at home against South Africa, to which he replied.
“People can keep forgetting, but I’m the same guy who got results in England as well. With a young team. And I’m sure you guys will forget very soon because a lot of people keep talking about New Zealand. And I’m the same guy who won the Champions Trophy and the Asia Cup as well”.
“What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket?”(November 2024):
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting also finds himself in the list of people who have been at the receiving end of verbal volleys from Gautam Gambhir.
The Incident took place when India toured Australia in late 2024, and Ponting questioned Virat Kohli’s form before the start of the series, to which Gambhir, in his usual fiery manner, said
“What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket? I think he should think about Australian cricket.”
“He often ends up not doing a heck of a lot in the games” (January 2026):
Not only Gambhir, but other members of the support staff have been in the news for saying things that have left people scratching their heads.
Team India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has been the talk of the town this time after he criticised Nitish Kumar Reddy for his performance, or the lack of it, when given a chance following the loss in the second ODI against New Zealand.
In the words of Ryan, “With Nitish, we keep talking about developing him and getting him game time, and then when you do get him game time, he often ends up not doing a heck of a lot in the games.”
Ryan ten Doeschate also questioned former Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s form after back-to-back failures against New Zealand
“He’s definitely not the sort of guy to play for himself. It’s just a combination of the wickets being slightly difficult and maybe just being a little bit short on cricket leading into the series,” Doeschate said after the second ODI.
Ryan’s assessment triggered strong reactions from former cricketers and fans alike, who were not very pleased with him.
“We played the first Test match without a captain” (December 2025):
Coming back to Gambhir, India, especially Gambhir, was heavily criticised for his statement regarding the absence of Shubman Gill following India’s loss in the first Test against South Africa.
Gambhir said, “There were a lot of things said and written after we lost the Test series against South Africa, but nobody spoke about the fact that in the first Test we played without our captain, who didn’t bat in either innings.”
