Yuvraj Singh backs under-fire coach Gautam Gambhir, says he needs more time

Former Indian batter Yuvraj Singh has put his weight behind under-fire head coach Gautam Gambhir. Singh feels Gambhir needs more time as the team’s chief coach to get the best out of the team. Under Gautam Gambhir, India hasn’t had a great run after winning the T20 World Cup under Rahul Dravid’s tutelage.

Under Gambhir, India lost an ODI series against Sri Lanka by 2-0 after a long gap of 27 years. India was also whitewashed by New Zealand for the first time while playing in home conditions. Furthermore, India suffered a 1-3 series loss against Australia, who regained the Border-Gavaskar trophy after a decade.

“I have said it previously also. You guys look at series by series. If India wins a series you talk good things, if they lose you criticise,” Yuvraj was quoted as saying by news agency PTI on Thursday.

On the other hand, Singh also backed Indian captain Rohit Sharma, who led India to T20 World Cup glory in 2024. Sharma also decided to opt out of the Sydney Test because of poor form. The right-hander had managed only 31 runs in five innings against Australia at an average of 6.20.

“I always look at the team graph over a five-year period or three years. If you talk about Rohit, Gautam has just come into the system, he needs more time. Rohit Sharma has won the T20 World Cup as captain, he was captain when India played the ODI World Cup final. He led MI (Mumbai Indians) to five IPL titles. The guy has stepped down from the last match and given somebody else a chance. How many captains have done that in the past? Please tell me,” Yuvraj added.

Gambhir will look to turn the tables and it has been reported that Gambhir’s stint will be reevaluated after the conclusion of Champions Trophy as India haven’t got the desired results under his coaching.

India will take on England in the first T20I at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on January 22.