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A new report has made an important revelation about the future of Gautam Gambhir as the all-format head coach of the Indian national cricket team.
The report claimed that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had approached legendary batting legend VVS Laxman for the post of Test head coach after India’s victory. series defeat against South Africa.
Gautam Gambhir in trouble as India head coach in Tests
Since becoming the head coach in all formats, Gautam Gambhir has led the Indian team to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the Asia Cup 2025 in a quick span of time.
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India showed sheer dominance in T20I cricket and struck fear into the minds of the opposition teamsand in ODIs, they performed well under Gambhir.
However, when it comes to Test cricket, things have been pretty bleak. In the purest format of the game, Gautam Gambhir’s India suffered badly and many questions were raised over the head coach’s tactics.
Gambhir has been criticized for relying more on all-rounders in a format that demands specialists to get the job done. Furthermore, the head coach tried to implement a T20I style formula in Test cricket, which did not work, and India were the target of shocking losses in the Test series.
Gautam Gambhir oversaw 2 whitewashes of the Test series at home
In his first Test series as head coach at home, Gambhir guided India to a 2-0 win over Bangladesh. However, what followed was horrific as the Indians were whitewashed by the Kiwis at home. This was the first ever 0-3 draw that India suffered at home in the history of cricket.
Following this, India lost the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3. The new cycle of the ICC World Test Championship began with the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England, and a young Indian team drew 2-2.
Things started looking good from there as India also blanked West Indies at home 2-0, but the hosts suffered another setback when Temba Bavuma-led South Africa humiliated India with a dominant 2-0 clean sweep.
BCCI eyes VVS Laxman to replace Gautam Gambhir
Now, a PTI report has revealed that someone who matters in the BCCI has informally contacted VVS Laxman again to check if he would be interested in becoming the Test head coach after India’s defeat against South Africa.
VVS Laxman, initially considered Rahul Dravid‘s successor as head coach, turned down the job and said he was happy to be the “in-charge of cricket” at the Center of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Gautam Gambhir has signed a deal until the 2027 ODI World Cup, but that contract could end prematurely depending on India’s performance in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, as the jury is still out on whether he is the right person to remain at the helm, especially in Test cricket.
“Gambhir enjoys strong support in the corridors of power in Indian cricket, and obviously, if India retains the T20 World Cup or at least reaches the final, he would continue his mission without any problem. However, it would be interesting if Gambhir continues in Tests as well,” a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
“Its advantage is that there are not too many alternative options in the red ball format since VVS Laxman is not interested in coaching the senior Test team,” the source added.
The report also claims that there is chaos in the Indian dressing room currently and players do not feel as safe as they did during Rahul Dravid’s tenure.
