'He loves cricket, not money' - Former India bowler continues to back Gautam Gambhir as India coach

Published - 15 Apr 2026, 19:16 IST | Updated - 15 Apr 2026, 19:22 IST

Former fast bowler and current Delhi Capitals coach Munaf Patel has continued to back Gautam Gambhir as India's head coach for his personality and ability to make tough decisions without worrying about the consequences that we might face.

Munaf strongly believes that if Gambhir is sidelined for a different coach in the coming months, the discipline in the dressing room would take a hit. It takes someone with a strong presence to handle the modern-day cricketers.

“Just remember this, if a head coach like Gautam Gambhir is removed, then handling the players will become very difficult. He is a genuine person; he calls the truth as it is, and many people don’t like that. Gambhir is the only one who’s handling the players today. Other than him, the players won’t be handled by other coaches. Because he’s still feared — because he loves cricket, not money,” Munaf Patel said on The Times of India Sports’ Bombay Sport Exchange podcast.

Munaf shares the magnitude of the task in front of Gambhir. Being the head coach of the Indian Cricket Team is a tough task where the former batter has made a plethora of enemies, with some of these being within the BCCI. However, he has remained strong and does what he thinks is best for the team.

“If Gambhir leaves after 3 years, then you will see things become more scattered. Because he can keep control. Absolutely—he has a complete controlling system. And everyone knows that if anything goes wrong, he has the guts to drop players. The coach should have control. He can’t be a friend. If he is, then you are spoiling the system. There should be fear. Think about it—how many enemies Gautam Gambhir is making while doing this job. In the commentary panel, 8 out of 10 people are against him. 4 out of 5 selectors will be against him. But still, he does his work,” he added.

Gambhir had a tall order to replace a legendary figure like Rahul Dravid as India’s coach. The former left-handed batter, however, showed his leadership skills whilst mentoring the Kolkata Knight Riders to the 2024 Indian Premier League title.

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Gambhir has led India to two ICC trophies, firstly winning the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and then leading the Men in Blue to the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, thus becoming the first men’s side to return the title.