Team India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak revealed the real face of head coach Gautam Gambhir after the T20 World Cup 2026 victory. The veteran batting coach praised the legendary former opening batsman for his incredibly astute mindset, and revealed that he provides complete freedom to the entire coaching staff.
The Men in Blue won their second ICC title in less than two years under Gambhir. After their unbeaten performance in the Champions Trophy 2025, they won the T20 World Cup 2026 on home soil. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side has won 28 of its 33 completed games in the shortest format since last year.
Gautam Gambhir is a very smart person – Sitanshu Kotak
During a recent interview with RevSportz, Sitanshu Kotak opened up about the dressing room environment. The batting coach said that Gautam Gambhir trusts his support staff and never imposes his personal views forcefully.
“Gautam is a very smart person, very intelligent and very knowledgeable. Ever since I have come, he gives 100 percent freedom. He will not force his thinking. Till date, he has never told me in relation to work, whether we win or lose, ‘Hey Kotak bhai, why did you do this, why did you do that’? Never,” Kotak told RevSportz.
He said, “He is very mature; he knows that even after doing everything right, sometimes the result may not come. If you play 50 matches, you may lose five or seven matches. You will not be able to win all 50 matches.”
“Whatever a support staff member needs from the head coach, he provides 100 per cent support. He doesn’t interfere or stop you. He knows that the batting has to be taken care of by Kotak Bhai.”
He never blames anyone for victory or defeat – Sitanshu Kotak
Sitanshu Kotak also praised former coach Rahul Dravid and National Cricket Academy chief VVS Laxman. Kotak said that he has the unique ability to never blame anyone, whether the national team wins or loses.
Kotak said, “I joined NCA with Rahul bhai, spent many years with Laxman and now I am watching Gautam. His mentality is the same: we will do good things, be positive and focus on a good process. He never blames anyone for winning or losing. Not a single word of blame comes out of his mouth. That is a sign of greatness.” (via above source).
Gautam Gambhir continues his golden performance in ICC tournaments
Kotak joined Gautam Gambhir’s coaching staff at the start of the 2025 season. After the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, there was a massive change in the Indian team.
However, the new-look team defended the title on home soil with an emphatic 96-run win over New Zealand. They became the first team to win the T20 World Cup three times. India scored more than 250 runs in both the semi-finals against England and the final against New Zealand.
It is certainly noteworthy that Gambhir has a stellar track record at ICC events, both as a player and coach. He was an integral part of India’s 2007 and 2011 World Cup-winning teams. Now, his coaching tenure already includes two international trophies.
Also read: No 2027 World Cup or 2028 Olympics! Gautam Gambhir told his next goal
