Former Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth has downplayed the importance of Gautam Gambhir’s role in India’s T20 World Cup 2026 triumph. Sreesanth said the players deserve more credit for delivering the goods at the right time in the T20I showpiece, rather than the coach.

India defeated New Zealand by a mammoth margin of 96 runs in the summit clash. Sanju Samson was the star of the show for India as he delivered in the virtual quarterfinal, semifinal, and final of the tournament. Samson scored 321 runs in five matches of the World Cup and played a key role in the team’s success.

Sreesanth said on the Lallantop show ‘Guest in the Newsroom, “When the team won the World Cup, all the credit went to Gambhir. But if Sanju Samson hadn’t been there, Suryakumar Yadav hadn’t captained, and the bowling changes hadn’t been made at the right time, would we have won the match? Was the coach making decisions on the field? It’s fine if we have a coach like Ashish Nehra, who remains involved.”

On the other hand, India has struggled to get going in the Test format under Gautam Gambhir’s tutelage. India suffered a 0-3 loss against New Zealand while playing at home in 2024 whereas they were also stunned 0-2 by South Africa.

Sreesanth said India needs a mentor ahead of the coach in the red-ball version.

“Change the coach, friend. India needs a mentor, not a coach. Team India needs a mentor like Dhoni. You have to be a brother first. You can’t just laugh when you win and get angry when you lose. You’ve done well for the country, that’s great. That doesn’t mean others aren’t trying. Have a mentor over a coach,” said Sreesanth (via the aforementioned source).

India will next take on Sri Lanka in the two-match Test series in August.