Wassan describes Gambhir as a bully with a very large ego and says a lot of players are unhappy with him. He thinks Gambhir’s conflicts with Kohli come from Gambhir always being argumentative.
Dressing-room unease claimed
Wassan explains Gambhir’s way of leading means players must do as they’re told or suffer the consequences. He says players in the dressing room are very anxious, almost ‘on edge’, because of a coach who controls things ‘with a strict hand’. He told Vickey Lalwani on his YouTube show that a few players are worried in all types of cricket, and this unease is definitely happening, even if no one is saying it.
Old fault lines resurface
This problem has its roots in the past. Wassan and Gambhir have had disagreements before, specifically when Gambhir was removed as captain of Delhi in the t2017-18 domestic season. Gambhir said he wasn’t wasn’t told about this decision, and Wassan’s opinion of how Gambhir works is still affected by that.
Wassan, who played four Test matches and nine One Day Internationals for India and used to be a selector for Delhi, says his opinion comes from knowing Gambhir since they were children.
Wassan says Gambhir is completely inflexible. He says “It’s my way or no way with him. He’s always been like that, and he used to bully people a lot, even when playing for Delhi. That’s just his personality” and adds that Gambhir’s ego is huge.
He went on to say, “If you don’t do what he wants, he’ll want to cause you problems.” Wassan believes Gambhir needs to be provoked to play his best, saying, “He couldn’t play at his highest level without fighting,” and he links this to his disagreements with Virat Kohli.
Alpha approach, Kohli flashpoint
Wassan doesn’t think the fights with Kohli are just random occurrences. He describes them as coming from Gambhir’s “overly aggressive and very dominant personality” which comes from Delhi. He says Gambhir has both won and lost.
Results under Gambhir: peaks and pitfalls
Gautam Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid as coach in July 2024. Since then, India has won the Champions Trophy in 2025 and the T20 World Cup in 2026. But alongside those victories are losses in Test series at home to New Zealand and South Africa, and a loss to New Zealand in One Day Internationals earlier in the year.
Wassan says plainly, “There are faults on his record. We’ve lost two or three home series.” He even gives a specific example: “We lost a home series 2-3.”
Wassan didn’t mention any names, but says he knows of players who are unhappy. “I know one or two of them; they won’t say it publicly. I can’t say who they are on this show. Everyone knows what’s going on.”
He thinks Gambhir’s decisions about which players to pick for the team are very important. “If you leave out two to four players, and then win, then it’s all about you. It’s a team game; no one will listen to the player. If the coach wins, even after doing all of that, then the coach is right and the player is wrong.”
A personality that powered success, now under scrutiny
Even while criticizing the way Gambhir coaches, Wassan admits Gambhir was a very good cricketer and is clever. He says the same strong drive that made Gambhir a good player is now how he coaches.
But Wassan thinks this strength has a downside. He says, “He’s always been from a wealthy background, and that’s just how he is.” He says Gambhir believes that “if he says it’s night when it’s morning, everyone will believe it is night.”
He adds that Gambhir “needs to stop acting like he’s above everyone else,” and that the things that used to bother him still do. Wassan is asking if constantly being confrontational is still good for the team.
What comes next
Wassan’s main point is clear: the results will show if this approach is working. “If you keep winning while having your favourites and controlling them harshly, then that’s okay. But if you lose, then you need to accept criticism.”
Here is how Wassan framed the stakes for the coach if the results wobble again:
– Winning keeps the noise down
– Losing invites criticism he must face
– Strong personalities intensify backlash
Right now, opinions of Gambhir as coach are split: the team is winning trophies, but there’s a lot of worry underneath. How this changes could affect how the Indian team gets along as much as the results of any series.
