‘Players unhappy with Gautam Gambhir’: Ex-cricketer drops bombshell on India head coach

Former India pacer Atul Wassan alleged that some players in the Indian team are unhappy with head coach Gautam Gambhir. There have been reports in the past of how there were differences between the coach and senior players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Speaking on Vickey Lalwani's YouTube show, Wassan said, “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."

Though he did not name the players, Wassan added, “I know one-two 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.”

Wassan also revealed that he has known Gambhir since his childhood and accused him of being a “bully”. He also added that Gambhir’s aggressive personality led to his clash with 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 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,” he said.

“But, he has achieved a lot in cricket, and his nature helped him in cricket. 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 thinks this still drives him. That's why he is confronting Kohli: over-aggressiveness and an alpha-male kind of personality from Delhi.”

Wassan also trashed Gambhir’s recent remarks on the records of AB de Villiers and Kevin Pietersen’s leadership. He had questioned their legacy and asked them to look at their own records before criticising Hardik Pandya, who is having a tough time as the skipper of the ninth-placed Mumbai Indians.

Responding to it, Wassan said that Gambhir only targets high-profile figures to stay in the headlines. “He is trying to create a controversy, and he has a habit of it. I don’t take Gautam Gambhir seriously.”

Wassan played four Tests and nine ODIs for India, while Gambhir has represented India in 58 Tests, 147 ODIs and 37 T20Is. The latter was part of the World Cup-winning teams in 2007 (T20) and 2011 (ODI), and, as coach, led the Men in Blue to the ICC Champions Trophy win in 2025 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup earlier this year.