Shashi Tharoor Calls Team India’s Cricket Coach’s Role Toughest After PM, Gautam Gambhir Responds

Cricket

oi-Gaurav Sharma

Congress
MP
Shashi
Tharoor
has
described
India
head
coach
Gautam
Gambhir
as
‘The
man
with
the
toughest
job
after
PM’,
drawing
fresh
attention
to
the
intense
pressure
around
the
role.
Gautam
Gambhir
later
responded
on
X,
thanking
Shashi
Tharoor
for
the
public
support.

The
exchange
followed
a
meeting
between
Shashi
Tharoor
and
Gautam
Gambhir
in
Nagpur,
held
before
the
first
T20I
of
the
five-match
series
against
New
Zealand
at
the
New
VCA
Stadium.
Tharoor
met
the
former
India
batter
and
praised
Gautam
Gambhir’s
work
as
India
head
coach.

Shashi
Tharoor
praise
for
Gautam
Gambhir
India
head
coach
role

Sharing
a
photo
from
Nagpur
on
X,
Shashi
Tharoor
called
Gautam
Gambhir
an
old
friend
and
stressed
the
weight
of
the
coaching
role.
“In
Nagpur,
I
enjoyed
a
good
and
frank
discussion
with
my
old
friend
Gautam
Gambhir,
the
man
with
the
hardest
job
in
India
after
the
PM’s!” Tharoor
wrote
in
one
post.

Tharoor
first
posted
a
longer
message
that
captured
his
thoughts
in
detail.
“In
Nagpur,
enjoyed
a
good
&frank
discussion
with
my
old
friend
@GautamGambhir,
the
man
with
the
hardest
job
in
India
after
the
PM’s!
He
is
being
second-guessed
by
millions
daily
but
stays
calm
&walks
on
undaunted.
A
word
of
appreciation
for
his
quiet
determination
and
able…
pic.twitter.com/LOHPygVV0E”
was
Tharoor’s
post
on
21
January
2026.

Gautam
Gambhir
India
head
coach
reaction
and
T20I
series
context

Gautam
Gambhir
replied
on
X
to
Shashi
Tharoor’s
public
message,
addressing
debate
around
the
coach’s
influence.
“Thanks
a
lot,
Dr.
@ShashiTharoor!
When
the
dust
settles,
truth
&
logic
about
a
coach’s
supposedly
“unlimited
authority” will
become
clear.
Till
then,
I’m
amused
at
being
pitted
against
my
own
who
are
the
very
best!”
Gautam
Gambhir
wrote.

A
slightly
different
version
of
the
response
also
appeared
on
the
platform.
“Thanks
a
lot
Dr
@ShashiTharoor!
When
the
dust
settles,
truth
&
logic
about
a
coach’s
supposedly
“unlimited
authority”
will
become
clear.
Till
then
I’m
amused
at
being
pitted
against
my
own
who
are
the
very
best!”
read
another
post
from
Gautam
Gambhir
on
21
January
2026.

Shashi
Tharoor
underlined
how
Gautam
Gambhir
deals
with
public
judgement
around
every
selection
and
strategy
call.
The
senior
parliamentarian
wrote
that
Gambhir
is
evaluated
by
fans
every
day
yet
continues
without
complaint.
“He
is
being
second-guessed
by
millions
daily
but
stays
calm
and
walks
on
undaunted,” Tharoor
said,
highlighting
this
steady
approach.

Tharoor
also
spoke
about
Gautam
Gambhir’s
leadership
methods
as
India
head
coach,
describing
them
as
effective
without
being
loud.
He
added
a
specific
good
wish
for
the
immediate
assignment.
“A
word
of
appreciation
for
his
quiet
determination
and
able
leadership.
Wishing
him
all
success,
starting
today,”
Tharoor
posted,
linking
the
message
to
the
opening
T20I
in
Nagpur.

The
context
of
the
meeting
is
important
for
India’s
short-format
plans.
The
five-match
T20I
series
against
New
Zealand
is
seen
as
part
of
core
preparation
for
the
T20
World
Cup
2026,
which
begins
on
7
February.
India
opened
the
series
strongly,
beating
New
Zealand
by
48
runs
in
the
first
match.

Series
Teams
Format
Matches
Venue
(1st
T20I)
Result
(1st
T20I)

India
vs
New
Zealand
India,
New
Zealand
T20I
Five
New
VCA
Stadium,
Nagpur
India
won
by
48
runs

The
public
exchange
between
Shashi
Tharoor
and
Gautam
Gambhir
highlights
how
demanding
the
India
head
coach
role
is,
especially
before
a
major
T20
World
Cup.
With
results
like
the
48-run
win
against
New
Zealand,
scrutiny
is
likely
to
stay
high
as
the
team
moves
through
this
white-ball
phase.