"Does that personality and style connect with Indian players?" - World Cup-winning coach's big remark on Gautam Gambhir after ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

Former Team India head coach Gary Kirsten pondered if current head coach Gautam Gambhir's personality and style connect with the Indian players amid the ongoing Test series against England. Gambhir took over as the Indian head coach after Rahul Dravid's departure at the same time last year.

While India has thrived in the white-ball formats under the former left-hander, the story has been the polar opposite in Tests. The side suffered back-to-back Test series defeats against New Zealand and Australia, losing a combined six out of the eight matches.

The slide has continued in the ongoing England series, with India trailing 1-2 after three matches.

Having worked with Gambhir, the player, during his Team India coaching tenure, Kirsten talked about him in an interview with Rediff, saying (via Indian Express):

"Well, I don’t know Gautam, the coach, at all. Gautam, the player, I absolutely loved. He’s got a toughness to him that is very useful. I think he’s really strong. But he’s got a personality and he’s got a style. The big thing is does that personality and style connect with Indian players? That’s really what it’s going to be about."

He continued:

"He’s had success in the IPL. I remember when we split the one-day team and the Test team and we made him the one-day captain against New Zealand before coming to South Africa. And he did a fantastic job."

India recently won the 2025 Champions Trophy under Gambhir, while also winning a Test for the first time at Edgbaston in the ongoing England series.

"I just hope that he’s getting the support he needs" - Gary Kirsten on Gautam Gambhir as India's head coach

Gary Kirsten expressed admiration for Gautam Gambhir and urged the Indian players to support him in his methods. Three of India's stalwarts, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, have retired from Test cricket during his coaching tenure.

"I don’t know enough about how it’s going or how he’s going with the players. But all I do know is that he’s got incredible skill in the game of cricket. I’m thoroughly fond of Gautam and I just hope that he’s getting the support he needs and that the players are starting to, if not already, kind of warm to him and understand how he wants to operate and whether he can add value to the team," said Kirsten (via the aforementioned source).

Trailing 1-2 in the ongoing England series, a loss in the fourth Test at Manchester (starting July 23) will make it a hat-trick of Test series defeats for Team India.