After India won the T20 World Cup in 2024, Rahul Dravid stepped down as India coach and Gautam Gambhir took over. The man has found a lot of success in white ball cricket but in Tests, India have declined. There has also been calls surrounding his relationship with the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. But one man has gone to bat for him and he is no less than a legend.

Yuvraj Singh in Awe of Gautam Gambhir

Yuvraj Singh has hailed Gambhir’s ‘sharp cricketing brain’ and said he ‘must be doing something right’. Yuvraj recalled how he played junior cricket with Gambhir and felt he understood the game really well. This man is clearly in the coach’s corner and is defending him without any reservations.

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“I have played with Gautam since Under-16 and Under-19, and I always felt he had a very good cricketing brain. The way he sees the game has always stood out. He has performed at the highest level and played a major role in winning two World Cups. Then as a mentor with Kolkata Knight Riders, he won titles again. He must be doing something right,” Yuvraj said on Sports Tak.

“When you become India’s coach, there are too many eyes on you. One mistake is shown 100 times, one success 1000 times. He went through that phase but stuck to his process. That is what led India to the World Cup triumph. Now he is back on a high. There will always be ups and downs in cricket," he added.

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“He was clear. We have to play this brand of cricket even if there are failures. We are coming after you from the first ball. If it’s there to hit, players like Abhishek or Sanju will go for it from the first ball,” he went on to say.

Gautam Gambhir’s Report Card

As a player, Gambhir helped India win the T20 World Cup in 2007 and ODI World Cup in 2011. Yuvraj was his teammate in both those campaigns under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. In the IPL, Gambhir led KKR to two titles in 2012 and 2014 and won a third as a mentor in 2024. As the coach of India, he was instrumental in India winning the Champions Trophy in 2025 and the T20 World Cup less than a month back. Now he is enjoying an international break. The next target on his radar is the ODI World Cup next year.