Afghanistan keeper batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders side which won the IPL in 2024 under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir, said that he was baffled by the criticism against the now India head coach. Gurbaz also added that Gambhir was the best coach and mentor he had ever worked under.
“If 1.4 billion people are there in your country, you can say 2-3 million will be against him. The rest are with Gautam sir and with India team. It doesn’t make sense to talk about them. He’s the best ever coach and human being, mentor that I have had in my career so far. I love the way he goes about things,” Gurbaz said to PTI.
“India just won the Champions Trophy in ODI format, Asia Cup in T20 format. They have won a lot of series, so you can’t blame them for one series. I love the way he (Gambhir) goes about his job. When you have a good environment, you will be always on the top. He made the environment very easy for us, nothing stressful, nothing strict… and that’s why we won the tournament. He is not strict but he is disciplined. He is strict only when something goes against discipline,” he added.
VIDEO | Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s coaching methods may have polarised opinions in India but dashing Afghanistan keeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz has no hesitation in admitting former KKR Mentor as the “best coach” that he has played under and is baffled by the kind… pic.twitter.com/6qZm0yIEZg
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 2, 2025
Gambhir has been under the cosh since India lost to South Africa 0-2 in the recently concluded Test series, their second whitewash at home after getting blanked 0-3 by New Zealand last year. India’s longstanding home Test domination now lies in tatters with the team now having lost 5 of their last 7 Tests in their own backyard. Gurbaz, however, said that India should be cut some slack and they needed support now more than ever when they need it the most.
“As a cricketer, I will never blame players because everyone works hard and tries their best. They lost, so what? They are human. Sometimes you lose — it’s part of life. When you are going through bad times, that’s when you need support,” Gurbaz said.
