India National Cricket Team head coach Gautam Gambhir has been facing heavy criticism for the team’s downfall in the longest format of the game.

Former opener Aakash Chopra has joined the list of critics and said that the pressure is now mounting on Gautam Gambhir because India have been performing horribly in Test cricket.

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Gautam Gambhir’s record as India’s Test head coach

Gambhir was appointed as the head coach of the India National Cricket Team after the exit of the legendary Rahul Dravid, who led the team to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 triumph.

Expectations were sky-high from Gautam Gambhir when he took over the job, and the former opening batsman has not disappointed in white-ball cricket.

Under his guidance, India have become a force to reckon with in T20I cricket and after a decent run in ODI cricket, India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

However, in Test cricket, there has been a massive downfall in India’s performance since Gautam Gambhir became the head coach. India won a Test series against Bangladesh at home in Gambhir’s first assignment in the red-ball cricket team, but since then, they have been struggling.

Team India were whitewashed [0-3] by Team New Zealand at home, hitting a historic low, and then lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 after a decade [1-3].

To make matters worse, India started off the five-match series against England on a poor note, losing the Test series opener at Headingley in Leeds.

He has been losing and losing – Aakash Chopra on Gautam Gambhir

Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that the newly-appointed Test captain Shubman Gill shouldn’t be blamed for India’s horror show in Test cricket, and the criticism should be directed towards Gautam Gambhir, who has been continuously losing.

“This is the principle of Indian cricket, and it is true that if it is good, then everyone is proud of it. But if it is bad, then criticism is absolutely obvious. I will still be more patient with Shubman Gill because he has just become the captain. It will take him some time to understand,” Aakash Chopra said.

“There is a lot of pressure on Gautam Gambhir. The pressure is absolutely mounting. If you look at his performances in Test cricket and red-ball cricket, you will find that he has not won a lot of matches. He has won 2 matches against Bangladesh and one against Australia. However, we lost three against New Zealand, three against Australia, and one against England. He has been losing and losing,” he added.

But if the England series doesn’t go too well, then there will be a question mark – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra further highlighted that the BCCI selection committee has fulfilled each and every demand of Gautam Gambhir, giving him all the players he asked for, and the head coach has no excuse. He added that Gambhir should start bringing results in India’s favor; otherwise, his job might be at risk.

“His performance in white-ball cricket has been good. The team has been playing well. But in Test cricket, I think the questions are going to be there. And I think there is a lot of pressure on this series. If this series doesn’t go well, God forbid, I hope it goes well. I really want Indian cricket to do well. But if the England series doesn’t go too well, then there will be a question mark,” said Chopra.

“Where are they going and what are they doing? Because the selectors feel that whatever team management is asking for, it is being given. The type of player you want, the number of players you want, and the player you are pointing at are being given. So, if this is the case, then you also need to deliver the results. Period. There is no excuse,” he added.