It’s Shubman’s Test and ODI team, not mine; it’s Suryakumar Yadav’s T20I team, not mine: Gautam Gambhir

Team India has been under transition across formats, with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announcing their retirements from T20I and Test formats. While the duo stepped away from the shortest format of the game after the T20 World Cup win in 2024, they bid adieu to Tests ahead of the England tour this year.

While Shubman Gill has been appointed as the new Test and ODI captain, Suryakumar Yadav continues to lead the T20I side. During this transition, Gautam Gambhir took over the head coach’s role across the formats from Rahul Dravid in July 2024.

In an interview with Star Sports, Gambhir has stressed his role with the Indian team across formats. He made it clear that it is the captain’s team and not his side. Furthermore, he heaped praise on Suryakumar Yadav for his exceptional captaincy throughout the Asia Cup 2025 campaign as India defeated Pakistan in the grand finale to win the showpiece event.

“Ultimately, Suryakumar Yadav is still the leader of the T20I team. It’s his T20 team, not mine. It’s Shubman’s Test and ODI team, not mine,” Gambhir told Star Sports.

“The kind of character that Surya is, that’s precisely what you want in T20 cricket. He himself is so free, whether with the bat in the middle or off the field. T20 cricket is all about freedom. It’s about expressing yourself. Jaisa character aapka hoga off the field, waisi hi personality hogi on field. And the character you have, will also reflect in the dressing room vibe. The way he has kept the team atmosphere for over a year in the side… look at the results as well. It’s high-risk and high-reward cricket,” he added.

Moreover, Gambhir also revealed the first-ever conversation he had with Suryakumar Yadav since he became the full-time captain in the shortest format of the game. He also disclosed the team’s mindset under him as a head coach.

“The first conversation I had with Surya was, we will not fear losing. I don’t want to be the most successful coach in the history of Indian cricket. We’d rather be the most fearless team. Ultimately, if I start thinking about us becoming the most successful team, then it will start putting pressure on the kids about results,” he stated.

“The most important thing is that the bigger the game, the more fearless and aggressive we need to be. In big games, we should not be scared of making mistakes. That’s the conversation during the Asia Cup final. Though it was India vs Pakistan, there was so much hype. Told the team that it’s okay to drop a catch, it’s okay to play a bad shot, it’s okay to bowl a shocking ball. Don’t think about what will happen if you make a mistake. The only opinion that should matter is of the 30 people in our dressing room. Logon ki opinions matter nahi karni chahiye because they’re not experiencing the pressure that we are,” he observed.

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