Ahmed Shehzad has said that Gautam Gambhir proved to be a failed politician, but he brought his political mindset to the Indian dressing room. Indian team is ruined due to poor combination given by Gautam Gambhir.
Gautam Gambhir has been held responsible for India’s recent massacres in sports; However, his T20I record remained his only savior from being denied the role. He must have also had hopes from this T20 World Cup to continue his coaching role in the future.
Gambhir has been taking shocking decisions and sometimes some decisions have not been beneficial for him. This time, if India exits the T20 World Cup without at least reaching the final, the dagger of pre-contract termination is looming over its head. However, he has been given an offer by Rajasthan Royals in 2024, similar to what former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid got.
Gautam Gambhir brought politics into the Indian dressing room – Ahmed Shehzad
After Gautam Gambhir was appointed as the Indian head coach, many Indian legends have taken a final decision on their international careers. It surprisingly also included great batsman Virat Kohli and former Indian captain Rohit Sharma. Apart from this, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer and many other players have not got an easy way into the team.
Shahzad argued in a Pakistani show, “When you get into any field, you always want to be successful in it. He (Gambhir) went into politics and right after that, he returned to coaching the national cricket team.”
Ahmed Shehzad believes that Gambhir brought a culture of politics to the Indian dressing room. However one thing remains to be mentioned: he was a victorious MP candidate in Delhi, and hence cannot be called a failed politician.
Ahmed Shehzad said of Gautam Gambhir, “He could not become a successful politician; hence, he brought the culture of politics into the Indian dressing room. He got the opportunity to scheme against people he disliked.”
“Gautam Gambhir conspired against Virat Kohli,” Ahmed Shehzad makes explosive statement against Indian head coach
He did not hold back from taking aim at the Indian head coach, who he believes prioritized his bias over the country’s need for players like Kohli, whom he personally hates. However, the real reason for the hatred was never known, because except for the field movements, there was never any major conflict between the two. Instead, the two have shared the Indian dressing room between 2009 and 2015.
“Gautam Gambhir used to openly raise his voice against Virat Kohli, and he got the opportunity to plot against him as he became the Indian head coach with the freedom to take decisions without any challenge from the BCCI.”
The Pakistani batsman said, “He left out the senior players of the team and did not give them the expected respect, due to which many were forced to say goodbye to their careers for India. (He pointed towards Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin).”
“Virat Kohli’s brother’s viral tweet also mentioned all the wrongdoings against his brother. However, it was eventually removed. So, the Indian team is still good, but Gambhir’s politics has tarnished their image with his strange combinations and strange player selections (he mentioned leaving out Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav),” Shehzad pointed out real concerns for the Indian team.
Ahmed Shehzad said, “Virat Kohli was the only player in the Indian team who knew how to play and when to play, that’s why he was the best. This current team led by Gambhir? They crumble under pressure, they have no awareness of the game and they are complete chokers.”pic.twitter.com/dnwEfGGe3f
-Salman. (@TsMeSalman) 24 February 2026
“After West Indies’ excellent performance, only a miracle can take India to the semi-finals” – Ahmed Shehzad
However, the Pakistanis seemed very happy that India’s chances of reaching the semi-finals have now reduced. This could also be because they are happy not to play further against India.
“After the cricket that West Indies played yesterday, India’s chances of reaching the semi-finals are very slim. Now, it is just one of those miracles or things that India can do to get them to the next stage,” Shehzad said, to which Mohammad Aamir and Rashid Latif agreed on the show.
India need to win their next two matches to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals without worrying about run rate and will depend on South Africa to defeat West Indies. Otherwise, they will have to win their next two games by big margins to regain their run rate over West Indies or South Africa.
Also read: Virat Kohli named for shedding tears over former RCB batsman Abhishek Sharma amid T20 World Cup 2026
