Gambhir has done what no one else in cricket has managed: five ICC trophies as player and coach
The 2007 T20 World Cup final in Johannesburg ended with Gautam Gambhir walking off with 75 off 54 balls and a winners' medal. Nearly 19 years later, on Sunday in Ahmedabad, he walked off with something rarer: a T20 World Cup winners' medal as head coach. No one in men's cricket has done both.
From player to the most decorated Indian coach
Since taking over from Rahul Dravid in July 2024, Gambhir has collected three ICC trophies in less than two years. The Champions Trophy in March 2025, the Asia Cup later that year, and now the T20 World Cup. Add the two he won as a player in 2007 and 2011, and his personal tally stands at five. No Indian has been involved in more ICC triumphs.
The numbers are impressive, but it is the method that tells the real story. Under Gambhir, India's T20 batting has gone from aggressive to almost reckless. His stated philosophy is simple: go after 250-plus totals even if it means getting bowled out for 120. That gamble paid off in the final, where India posted 255 for 5 before rolling New Zealand for 159.
Backing players when others wouldn't
Gambhir's most important calls during this T20 World Cup were made before the first ball was bowled. Abhishek Sharma went through a rough patch in the group stage and there were calls to drop him. Gambhir kept him in. In the final, Abhishek smashed 52 off 21 balls at the top of the order to set the tone.
Sanju Samson is another example. After an inconsistent run in bilateral series, Gambhir gave him the freedom to play his natural game. Samson finished the tournament with 321 runs at a strike rate of 199 and was named Player of the Tournament.
"A coach is as good as his team," Gambhir said after Sunday's final. "Players made me the coach I am." Even MS Dhoni, not known for handing out compliments freely, posted a message acknowledging the achievement: "Coach Sahab, smile looks great on u. Intensity with smile is a killer combo."
The criticism he ignores
Not everyone has warmed to Gambhir's India. His intense sideline presence draws polarising reactions. Michael Vaughan praised India as "the best T20 team by a good distance," but former Pakistan bowler Shoaib Akhtar accused India of "ruining cricket" with their dominance, comparing them to a rich kid bullying the neighbourhood.
Gambhir brushed aside talk of eras and legacies. "I don't believe in these eras," he said, pointing to India's bilateral ODI losses as proof that there is still work to do. It was a typically blunt response from a man who, as a player, was known for saying exactly what he thought, often to his own detriment.
That directness has transferred to his coaching. Where Dravid was measured and diplomatic, Gambhir is confrontational and demanding. It is not a style that will age well if results dry up. But right now, with three ICC trophies in 20 months, the results are doing the talking.
