Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of India, has finally responded to the persistent rumors about his relationship with senior Indian players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Speaking at a sports colloquium on Monday, Gambhir emphasized that treating each squad member equally and that honesty and intent are still the most crucial principles in the Indian dressing room.
Gautam Gambhir was asked during the interaction to comment on “rumours” about his relations with Kohli and Rohit being strained and how those two players now only play in ODI cricket having retired from other formats.
Reacting to the speculation, Gambhir said that no one is immune from making mistakes. But he wrote in a note accompanying the quote that good intentions must be acknowledged, and what truly matters is not whether any decision made by the players or the management was optimal.
“Yes, I am human and I should be allowed to make mistakes as well. Just like anyone else, players should be allowed to make mistakes. I must have made mistakes in the last 18 months. I don’t shy away from that, but I’ve always believed in one thing. Wrong decision with right intent is acceptable, but wrong decision with wrong intent is absolutely not acceptable in that dressing room,” Gambhir said while in conversation with RevSportz.
He went on to say that the only thing that counts to him is continuing to be truthful and devoted to his coaching responsibilities and the team’s success.
“For me it is very simple. Till the time I am doing everything with honesty, till the time I can be honest to everyone in that dressing room, not only one or two people, but everyone from the masseur to the assistant coach, I can look in their eyes and I can talk to them, looking in their eyes, I think I’m doing a fair job with my position. And that is one thing which I can live with and that is one thing that I can promise you in the last 18 or 20 months, whatever my tenure has been, I think that is something that I can live with,” he added.
There have been rumors that Gautam Gambhir and two senior pros, particularly Kohli, have a severely strained relationship and are not even able to communicate. However, when the coach and Rohit briefly met during one of India’s T20 World Cup 2026 matches, everything appeared to be going well.
