India’s head coach made the point while defending a side that has endured a difficult stretch after lifting the 2026 T20 World Cup. The team subsequently lost T20I series against Ireland and England, with the Ireland defeat carrying particular significance as it was India’s first series loss in the format since the 2023 West Indies tour. Gautam Gambhir has asked critics to look beyond India’s recent T20I results, pointing instead to what the team achieved between the last two T20 World Cups. It was also their first T20I series defeat against Ireland. The BCCI subsequently conducted a review of the tour.
Gambhir’s reference to 17 years goes back to India’s T20 World Cup history. India won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. Their next title arrived in 2024 under Rahul Dravid, meaning 17 years separated the two championships.
‘It didn’t take these guys 17 years to win a second World Cup. It took them only 17 months to win a third World Cup. The current side, however, added another title only 17 months after India’s 2024 triumph. India then lost the Ireland series 2-0 and went winless in England, with the five match contest ending 4-0 after the opening game was washed out. The India coach has a previous connection with Iyer from Kolkata Knight Riders’ title winning IPL 2024 campaign. 4 position when circumstances demanded it, putting the team’s requirements ahead of his preferred batting slot.
Gambhir said on Jio Star’. One aspect of Iyer’s leadership stood out particularly strongly, according to Gambhir. Shreyas has that quality,’ Gambhir said.
Yet the recent setbacks have continued to fuel questions around the team. ‘Which team in the history of sport has gone undefeated from one World Cup to the next and gone on to win the World Cup? Suddenly, one bad series or three bad games here and there do not make them bad players or make us a bad side. Gambhir used that turnaround to underline why he believes the team’s recent losses need to be viewed in the wider context of its results. The coach’s argument comes after India endured an unsettled beginning to Shreyas Iyer’s tenure as T20I captain. Alongside his defence of India’s results, Gambhir singled out Iyer’s approach as a leader. Gambhir was part of the KKR setup while Iyer captained the side. The batter was willing to move away from his usual No. ‘The first and foremost quality of a good leader, and I’m not going to talk about captaincy, is how selfless you are.
Since then, India have responded with victories over Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Japan across seven matches. Iyer was appointed to replace Suryakumar Yadav before the tours of Ireland and England.
