Former India national cricket team opener Aakash Chopra has said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will decide Gautam Gambhir’s future as head coach based on his performance in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Aakash Chopra made this statement after Gautam Gambhir’s Indian national cricket team was defeated by the South African national cricket team in the two-match Test series at home.
India’s test statistics are not good at all – Aakash Chopra
Since taking over as the head coach of the Indian team, Gautam Gambhir has achieved immense success in white ball cricket, especially T20I cricket. The Men in Blue have completely dominated 20-over cricket and won consecutive series.
He also guided India to victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and then recently led the team to victory in the Asia Cup 2025.
However, Test cricket has not seen the same success as India have struggled badly in the red ball format since the arrival of Gautam Gambhir.
After winning the Bangladesh home series 2-0, India suffered a 0-3 defeat against New Zealand at home and then lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 1-3.
In the new ICC World Test Championship cycle, India started with a 2-2 draw in England before registering a 2-0 whitewash over the West Indies. When things started looking good, South Africa defeated India with a 2-0 clean sweep.
Ever since India’s Test series defeat to the Proteas, many fans and experts have called for Gautam Gambhir’s sacking, and now Aakash Chopra, speaking on his YouTube channel, has shared his views on the matter. He said:
“Under Gautam Gambhir as coach, India’s Test statistics are not good at all. You don’t need to shy away from that.”
Does this mean you should fire him? -Aakash Chopra on Gautam Gambhir
Aakash Chopra further said that India has not been able to win against the top nations in Test cricket, but he said that Gautam Gambhir should not be dismissed too soon. He said:
“We have won only two series – against Bangladesh and West Indies. We lost to New Zealand, drew in England, also lost to Australia and South Africa. We have not won against the top countries.
“Does that mean you should sack him? India won’t play any more Test matches for 10 months. Meanwhile, there’s the T20 World Cup. We are the defending champions and our performance in the T20 World Cup will determine the way forward. Before the tournament, I wouldn’t talk about any major changes. And that includes Gambhir’s coaching. The T20 World Cup will be a big test.”
There is a mistake of coach Parthiv Patel
Meanwhile, former India wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel blamed head coach Gautam Gambhir for India’s struggles as he suggested they were not playing the right combinations. He said:
“There are two things. One is the coach’s fault. The batsmen and bowlers are doing their job. But the question is, are we playing with the right XI? Does India need so many all-rounders in Test cricket? I believe Test cricket is a game of experts.”
“You have to have six batsmen. The best thing is that you have a wicketkeeper batsman who is one of the best and has an average above 40. Then you need four bowlers and an all-rounder,” he said on Star Sports.
Also Read: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh compete for No. 3 spot in India Test XI; Sarfaraz Khan kicked out
