Gautam Gambhir will now shift his focus to the 50-over World Cup in 2027.
Following an unbeaten, victorious run in the Champions Trophy 2025, India have lifted another major ICC title under the head coach Gautam Gambhir. But despite the recent triumph in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, former Indian captain Saurav Ganguly has warned the coach about another challenge in the limited-overs cricket.
While acknowledging his excellent record as a white-ball coach for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the national team, Ganguly also praised India’s gritty fightback in the longest format on English soil. But the ex-Indian skipper believes the forthcoming 50-over World Cup, set to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, could pose huge tests for the Men in Blue line-up.
“I am looking forward to the 2027 World Cup. He has to find a way to get better there because his batting is breathtaking in these conditions. But when it seams and when it bounces, that’s where he will need to get his boys better. I am sure he will do it,” said Ganguly to RevSportz.
The southpaw showed immense faith in his former teammate Gambhir to bring the best out of the players in the other white-ball format as well, especially in the overseas conditions.
“I have played with him for India. He wants to win. He says the right things about his team and tries to create an environment of team over individuals. His biggest test will be when he starts going away, and that’s something he has to master, and I am sure he will,” he added.
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Besides a prolific run in the shortest format of the game, India have also produced decent performances in one-day cricket. But most of those notable shows have come on home soil, which is concerning for the team before entering the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.
Just after Gambhir’s appointment as the head coach of India, the side had endured a historic 2-0 defeat in Sri Lanka in August 2024. However, after dominating England at home to clean sweep the three-match rubber, Rohit Sharma and his men had also continued a similar display in Dubai to clinch the Champions Trophy early in 2025.
But under the new coach-skipper duo of Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir, India were once again at the brink of an embarrassing series defeat on Australian soil. The hosts had already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead before the final fixture, and India were on the verge of their maiden ODI whitewash in Australia.
Though a match-winning 168*-run partnership between Rohit and the former captain Virat Kohli saw India end the series with a scoreline of 2-1, the team would look to better their away records in the upcoming 50-over fixtures against England, starting on July 14.
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