'Nothing wrong with that': Harbhajan Singh speaks on Gautam Gambhir and India's split coaching debate

NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has commented on the split coaching setup in India following the Asian Giants’ poor performances in Test cricket under head coach Gautam Gambhir. India suffered two whitewashes at home in the past two years, including a humiliating 0-3 loss to New Zealand in 2024, followed by a 0-2 thrashing at home by South Africa in 2025, both under Gambhir’s leadership.



The New Zealand whitewash also marked the end of India’s dominant Test era, which had been safeguarded by leaders like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma for over a decade. The loss cost a once well-settled Indian side a place in the ICC World Test Championship 2025 final. The latest setback against South Africa could similarly jeopardize India’s berth in the marquee one-off Test championship clash, depending on upcoming results.



On the other hand, Gambhir led India to the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy title in Dubai, and the Men in Blue have continued to perform strongly in the white-ball format.

Speaking to ANI, Harbhajan highlighted the responsibilities that come with being the coach of the Indian cricket team. He noted that in India, when the team performs well, everyone stays quiet, but when results go awry, criticism invariably falls on the coach.

"It is not that easy to become a coach of India. To be a coach, you have to travel with the team for a whole year and keep yourself involved in the game. You have to be more engaged because there are multiple team selections, and you also need to focus on match results. In India, it is our tradition that if the team plays well, everyone is quiet, but as soon as the team plays poorly, we get on top of the coach," Harbhajan said.

"Gautam Gambhir does not go there to play. When he was playing, he played well. He played very well for India. Everyone needs to be patient. If you feel you need to split the coaching, such as adopting a policy of one white ball and one red ball, then there is no need to do so for now. But over time, if needed, you should definitely do it. There is nothing wrong with that," he added.


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