Ahmed Shehzad has opined that Gautam Gambhir turned out to be a failed politician, but he brought along his political mindset to the Indian dressing room. The Indian team has wasted due to Gautam Gambhir’s assigning of poor combinations.

Gautam Gambhir has been held responsible for India’s recent massacres in the game; however, his T20I record remained his only saviour, which shielded him from getting snubbed from the role. He would have also pinned hopes on this T20 World Cup for the continuation of his coaching role in the future.

Gambhir has been making shocking decisions, and some have not paid off at times. This time, the dagger of a pre-contract ending snub looms over his head if India crashes out of the T20 World Cup without making it to the finals at least. However, he has an offer made by the Rajasthan Royals, much like the former Indian head coach Rahul Dravid had in 2024.

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Gautam Gambhir brought politics into the Indian dressing room – Ahmad Shehzad

After Gautam Gambhir was appointed the Indian head coach, several Indian maestros have made the final call on their international careers. This surprisingly included the batting legend Virat Kohli and former Indian captain Rohit Sharma. Also, several players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer and more have not found an easy way to get into the team.

“When you get into a field, you always want to be successful in that. He (Gambhir) went into politics, and just after that, he returned to coaching a national cricket team,” reasoned Shehzad on a Pakistani show.

Ahmed Shehzad believes that Gambhir brought the culture of politics into the Indian dressing room. Though one thing remains to be mentioned: he was a winning MP candidate in Delhi, and hence he cannot be said to be an unsuccessful politician.

“He could not turn out to be a successful politician; hence, he brought the culture of politics into the Indian dressing room. He got the opportunity to scheme against the ones whom he disliked,” Ahmed Shehzad said about Gautam Gambhir.

“Gautam Gambhir plotted against Virat Kohli,” Ahmed Shehzad gets explosive against the Indian head coach

He did not back away from aiming his arrows at the Indian head coach, whom he believes prioritised his bias over the country’s need for players like Kohli, whom he personally hated. Though the real reason for the hatred was never known, as the two have never had any major conflict except for the on-field agitations. Instead, the two have shared the Indian dressing room between 2009 and 2015.

“Gautam Gambhir used to openly voice against Virat Kohli, and he got the opportunity to plot against him as he became the Indian head coach with the liberty from the BCCI to make unchallenged decisions.”

“He ousted the senior players of the team and did not give them the expected respect, which pushed many to call it quits to their careers for India. (He hinted towards Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin),” explained the Pakistani batter.

“The viral tweet from Virat Kohli’s brother had also mentioned all the wrongdoings against his brother. However, it was eventually deleted. Hence, the Indian team is still good, but Gambhir’s politics have ruined their image with his awkward combinations and strange player pickings (he mentioned dropping Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav),” Shehzad pointed out the true concerns for the Indian team.

Ahmed Shehzad said, “Virat Kohli was the only player in indian team who knew how to play and when to play, that’s why he was the best. This current Gambhir-led team? They crumble under pressure, have zero game awareness, and are total chokers.”pic.twitter.com/dnwEfGGe3f

— Salman. (@TsMeSalman) February 24, 2026

“After West Indies’ standout show, only a miracle can get India through to the semis” – Ahmed Shehzad

However, the Pakistanis seemed overjoyed by the fact that India now has reduced chances of making it through to the semi-finals. This might also be because they are happy not to play against India any further.

“After the band of cricket West Indies played yesterday, India’s chances for a semi-final spot are very slim. Now, it is only one of those miracles or the things India does that can get them through to the next stage,” said Shehzad, to which Mohammad Amir and Rashid Latif agreed on the show.

For India to qualify for the World Cup semis with no worries for run rate, they would have to win their next two matches and depend on South Africa to defeat the West Indies side. Otherwise, they have to win their next two games by a huge margin to get their run rate over West Indies or South Africa.

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