former indian cricketer Atul Wasan Explosive remarks about the atmosphere within the Indian team under the head coach Gautam Gambhirclaimed not every player was happy with the intense and uncompromising approach of the former opener. Vasan, who has previously been critical of Gambhir and served as Delhi’s selector during a controversial phase of Gambhir’s domestic career, said there is currently tension in the Indian dressing room despite the team’s success in white-ball cricket.
Vasan told Vickey Lalwani’s YouTube show that some players in the Indian team were not happy with Gambhir’s management style and strong personality. “I believe all players cannot be happy. Someone sleeps on the needle and that happens. Personal likes and dislikes, and personalities are so strong. Take personal likes and dislikes, guide them with a stick, and if you keep winning, that’s fine. But if you lose, then you need to listen to criticism,” Wasan said. The former India pacer was then asked if he personally knew any players who were unhappy with Gambhir’s leadership. Vasan declined to be named but suggested there were some cricketers who felt marginalized. “I know one or two of them and they won’t say it publicly. I can’t name them on this show. Everyone knows what happened. But after excluding those two to four players, if you win, it’s your world. It’s a team sport and no one listens to the players. If the coach wins after all this, then the coach is right and the players are wrong,” he added. Vasan and Gambhir had a tense relationship in the past. Gambhir was sacked as Delhi captain during Vasan’s tenure as Delhi selector, a move that sparked controversy with the former India opener claiming he was not given proper notice. Gambhir will succeed Rahul Dravid as India’s head coach on July 10, 2024. His tenure has seen mixed results in various forms. India dominated white-ball cricket and became the first team to win the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2025 Champions Trophy and 2025 Asia Cup simultaneously. However, India’s red-ball performance has come under scrutiny during the same period. The team suffered a rare whitewash at home against New Zealand and South Africa, while also conceding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia for the first time in a decade. During Gambhir’s time in charge, some significant developments involving senior players also unfolded. Ravichandran Ashwin He announced his retirement from all international cricket midway through the 2024-25 Test series against Australia after the third Test at the Gabba, Brisbane. A few months later, the two Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma The exit from Test cricket in May 2025 marked the end of an era in the Indian batting line-up. Rohit was also relieved of his duties as India’s ODI captain despite leading India to the Champions Trophy earlier that year. Shubman Gill Later he took over this role.
