‘Try saying no to Virat Kohli’: Gautam Gambhir backed by former India pacer amid dressing room discord rumours

Former pacer Munaf Patel has warned that managing the star Indian cricket team players will become very difficult if the current head coach, Gautam Gambhir, is removed from the post. Gambhir has been India's head coach across formats since 2024 and has seen massive success in white-ball cricket, but poor results in Test matches and allegations of mishandling senior players have attracted criticism.

Gambhir is believed to have played a key role in the Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. There have also been rumours of an internal discord in the dressing room, with reports of the head coach not being on the best of terms with Kohli and Rohit.

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Rohit was also removed from ODI captaincy despite winning the Champions Trophy, with Gambhir trusting Shubman Gill to lead the team with an eye on the 2027 Cricket World Cup. These calls have divided fans, but Munaf Patel believes Gambhir is the right man for the job.

Munaf backs Gambhir: 'Genuine person'

"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. Everyone knows that if things go off track, he has the courage to drop that player," Munaf told The Times of India on Wednesday.

Munaf, who was in the Indian team alongside Gambhir during the 2011 World Cup triumph, said that Gambhir is making enemies with his harsh calls, but he is doing it for the betterment of the team.

"Man-management is the most important thing. And it is not easy. Try saying no to someone like Virat Kohli. Try saying no to Rohit Sharma. Tell me, how many people is Gautam Gambhir making enemies of just to coach the country?" he added.

Gambhir's next assignment as head coach is an all-format series against Afghanistan at home before the team departs for a big-ticket white-ball tour to England.