Indian players are unhappy with Gautam Gambhir? Check details

Former Indian cricketer and current commentator Atul Wassan has made a controversial claim regarding the ongoing coaching tenure of Gautam Gambhir, the current head coach of the Indian men's cricket team. He alleged that some players within Team India were not at all happy with Gambhir's aggressive personality.

Atul Wassan, who has also served as a former selector for Delhi, has long been a critic of Gambhir's personality. He expressed his views while speaking on Vicky Lalwani's YouTube show. He has had controversies with Gautam Gambhir in the past as well, specifically when Gambhir was removed from the captaincy of the Delhi team. At that time, Wassan was serving as a selector for Delhi. Gambhir had accused the selectors of failing to even inform him about his removal from the captaincy.

When asked about Gambhir, Atul Wassan stated that he has known him since his childhood and accused him of being a "bully." Wassan further remarked that Gambhir's ego operates on an entirely different level, and it was precisely this trait that led to his clashes with Virat Kohli.

"I have known him personally since he was a child. I have had my issues with him. With him, it's about my way or the highway. He is like that, and he would bully a lot, even in Delhi cricket. His nature is only like that. From the start, he was from money, that nature only, an excellent player, and he is intelligent. His ego is on a different level. He thinks that if he says it's night when it's morning, it will be believed to be night. Fall in line. If you don't fall in line, you are on my hit list. He will try to harm you, but he has achieved a lot in cricket, and his nature helped him in cricket," he said. 

"The player he became is because of his nature. He couldn't give his best unless he fights. He probably goes and fights with the glass in his home. He likes putting him in the mood. But he doesn't retire; he needs to get off this horse. He thinks this still drives him. That's why he is confronting Kohli: over-aggressiveness and an alpha-male kind of personality from Delhi. He has lost and has also won.

"His report card has blemishes. The home series, which we lost, 2-3."
Wassan did not stop there; levelling further allegations against Gambhir, he claimed that some players within Team India are unhappy with Gambhir's management style.

"I am sure that all the players cannot be in a happy place. Somebody will be sleeping on needles; this happens. Personal likes and dislikes, and that too with such a strong personality. With personal likes and dislikes, and leading them with a stick, if you keep on winning, then it's fine. But if you lose, then you need to listen to criticism," he said. 

When pressed to reveal the names of the players who are dissatisfied with this former KKR star, he said

"I know 1-2 of them; they won't say it openly. I can't say their names in this show. Everyone knows what's happening. But after sidelining those 2-4 players, if you win, then it's your world. It's a team sport; nobody will listen to the player. If the coach wins even after all this, then the coach is right, and the player is wrong." 

Gautam Gambhir is known for his aggressive personality from his early career. When he played for the Indian Team, he was involved in multiple heated rivalries with opposition players, including Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, South Africa’s Andre Nel, and a few more. However, his patriotism is undeniable. He played a key role in India’s 2007 T20 World Cup win and 2011 World Cup win. Under his coaching tenure, India has so far won the Champions Trophy 2025 and the T20 World Cup 2026. Gambhir is currently on leave, but after IPL 2026, he will once again start making the blueprint for the upcoming series and, most especially, the ODI World Cup 2027.