Explained: How Gautam Gambhir is looking to end 'superstar culture' within Indian cricket team

He is less than a year into his stint as head coach of the Indian cricket team, and yet Gautam Gambhir’s job is reportedly under threat. After India lost the fourth Test in Melbourne by 184 runs, Gambhir was reportedly angry at Indian players in the dressing room, claiming that he has had enough.

India were 1-2 down in the series after that loss and went on to surrender the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a six-wicket loss in the fifth Test in Sydney. The next major assignment for India is the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy which will be played in Pakistan and Dubai, and according to news agency PTI, the BCCI could “reevaluate” his performance as head coach once the eight-team tournament is over. This comes in the midst of Gambhir wanting to end the “superstar culture” in the Indian team.

Ever since he took over as Team India head coach in July 2024, Gambhir has overseen defeats in a bilateral ODI series against Sri Lanka , a home Test series against New Zealand and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia. India skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli endured disappointing outings in Australia, and in fact, the duo continues to remain a regular part of the Indian team despite repeated failures with the bat.

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The BCCI recently reviewed India's performance in Australia , and according to PTI, there are differences between Gambhir and senior Indian players in terms of team culture. This, however, is not the first time that Gambhir has emphasised on removing “superstar culture”. When he was captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2012, Gambhir dropped Brendon McCullum from the playing XI for the IPL final against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Gambhir wants to end ‘superstar culture’ in Indian team

“Gambhir wants to end the superstar culture that has been prevalent for so many years now. As captain of Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012, he had dropped Brendon McCullum from the playing XI for the IPL final against CSK. He has come here to dismantle the superstar culture and that’s what has caused discomfort for some playing members,” a source who has been following Gambhir’s way of functioning, told PTI.

He also explained a similar incident during Gambhir’s playing days with the Delhi domestic team. “Once, as Delhi Ranji captain, Gambhir decided that they will play home matches at the Roshanara Ground in Delhi North-West where the pitches were green-top. But one huge superstar, who was also out of the Indian team, wanted to play the games at the Jamia Milia Islamia ground, which was closer to his south Delhi residence. Gambhir turned him down. Similarly, in the Indian team, he doesn’t want star culture to breed,” the source explained.

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Gambhir’s contract as Team India head coach runs till the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, but should the Men in Blue fail to deliver in the 2025 Champions Trophy, he could be at risk of losing his job. “If India doesn’t do well in the Champions Trophy, the head coach’s position could become untenable. Yes, his contract runs till the 2027 World Cup but the process of evaluation continues,” a senior official of the BCCI said on conditions of anonymity.

“Sport is result-oriented and till now, Gambhir hasn’t given any tangible results,” the source added.

India begin their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on 20 February. They then play Pakistan (23 February) and New Zealand (2 March) at the same venue. The BCCI is expected to announce the India squad for the Champions Trophy on 18 or 19 January.