What Is the GG Era? Gautam Gambhir’s Coaching Explained & Criticised

When Indian cricket fans ask, “What is the GG Era?”, they’re referring to the period that began in July 2024, when Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team. In just two years, this era has become one of the most debated phases in modern Indian cricket, a mix of white-ball triumphs, Test collapses, controversial selections, and rising questions about whether Gambhir’s coaching philosophy truly fits the long format.

India lifted the Champions Trophy 2025 and the Asia Cup 2025, results that should have cemented Gambhir as one of India’s most successful white-ball coaches.

Yet, the same period also witnessed some of the worst Test performances in a decade, including a shocking 0-3 home whitewash to New Zealand, a 1-3 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and now what looks to be a whitewash against South Africa at home which is a decline so steep that India have lost more home Tests in the last 12 months than they did in the previous 10 years.

What Is the GG Era? – A Clear Definition

• The GG Era is the phase of Indian cricket defined by:
• Modern, aggressive, successful white-ball cricket.
• Chaotic, inconsistent, underperforming Test cricket.
• A coach with strong beliefs, but poor adaptability in the long format.
• Tactical brilliance in tournaments, but questionable judgment in red-ball situations.
• High expectations, high pressure, and a divided public opinion.

It’s a period where India can win global trophies but still be nervous about the home Test series.  A period where results shine in one format and collapse in another. And a period that may soon force the BCCI to reconsider whether Test cricket needs a different voice.

The GG Era: A Tale of Two Indias

The GG Era has become a defining chapter in modern Indian cricket, and the most striking feature of this period is how sharply Gambhir’s coaching record splits across formats. On one side is white-ball cricket, where India have flourished with trophies, clarity and confidence.

On the other is Test cricket, where the team has slipped, stumbled, and often looked unsure of its identity. This contrast has fuelled the debate around what the “GG Era” truly represents: success or struggle, brilliance or confusion.

*Before the conclusion of the 2nd test match against Soutth Africa

White-ball India

In limited-overs cricket, Gambhir’s methods have delivered exactly what fans hoped for. India has won the Champions Trophy 2025, the Asia Cup 2025, and dominated in bilateral T20I and ODI series. His approach built on match-ups, role clarity and backing younger talent has made India look tactically ahead of most opponents and consistently sharp on the field.

Here’s what India achieved in white-ball formats during the GG Era:

• Champions Trophy 2025 winners
• Asia Cup 2025 winners
• T20Is: 20 wins out of 22
• ODIs: 9 wins out of 14, including a clean sweep over England

Under Gambhir, white-ball India has looked aggressive, organised, and well-prepared, a team willing to take calculated risks and trust the process.

However, one must also keep in mind that he inherited the same successful white-ball team that won the T20 World Cup in the US and Caribbean and was dominant in the 2023 World Cup in India.

Test India

The same cannot be said about India’s Test journey under Gambhir. This is where the GG Era unravels. Despite having a core of experienced players, the team has struggled to find consistency, identity, and stability.

India’s Test performance in the GG Era-

He numbers become even more worrying when you zoom into key series-

• 0–3 loss vs New Zealand at home (India’s first such home humiliation in 12 years).
• 1–3 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy vs Australia
• 2–2 draw vs England despite moments where India looked in control
• Currently 0–1 down vs South Africa, risking another home series defeat

What is most alarming is how drastically India’s home dominance has eroded. Between 2013 and 2023, India lost only three Tests at home. In the GG Era alone, they have lost four of their last six.

Why GG’s Coaching Works in White-Ball Cricket But Fails in Tests?

The most common criticism in the GG Era is blunt: Gautam Gambhir coaches Test cricket with a T20 mindset. The contrast in results reflects deep structural issues in decision-making, selections, and on-field strategy.

1. Overthinking and Over-Experimentation With Team Combinations

This remains Gambhir’s biggest red-ball drawback. Instead of building stability, he has repeatedly tinkered with roles, orders, and responsibilities within the Test side.

Batting positions have shuffled unexpectedly, players like Sarfaraz Khan and Karun Nair have been dropped despite public statements that “India backs them,” and bowlers or all-rounders have often been used in roles that don’t suit their strengths.

Several examples further highlight this pattern: Washington Sundar was suddenly pushed to No. 3, there is a possibility of Sai Sudharsan being used at the same slot in the very next match, and Nitish Kumar Reddy could be placed as low as No. 8 despite being a batting all-rounder.

In Test cricket where rhythm, repetition, and predictability help players settle such frequent changes break confidence and disrupt the foundation a team needs to compete across long sessions.

2. Stubbornness & Defiance in Press Conferences

Gambhir’s outspoken and confrontational personality works well when the team is winning, but during red-ball struggles, it has invited criticism. He has persisted with plans that have clearly failed, defended selections that have not delivered results, and shifted blame toward “poor batting,” even though he previously insisted that the team “wins and loses together.”

This creates a growing perception that he is more focused on proving that his methods are right than on acknowledging when they are not working. In a format where adaptability and humility are essential, this defiance has become a recurring talking point.

3. Tactical Mismatches With Red-Ball Demands

Test cricket demands patience, long-term planning, session-by-session awareness, and stability across batting and bowling units. Gambhir’s red-ball strategies, however, often resemble short-format thinking where aggressive decisions, quick changes, and expectations of immediate impact.

This approach has contributed to collapses in home conditions, unsettled opening combinations, excess pressure on the middle order, and bowlers being overworked because plans fall apart early. Even in competitive stretches, such as the 2–2 draw against England or the thrilling win in Perth, this underlying instability eventually resurfaced. In Tests, volatility is rarely rewarded, and India have repeatedly paid the price.

4. Losing the Aura of Invincibility at Home

For more than a decade, India at home was cricket’s toughest fortress. Visiting teams rarely left without defeat, and from 2013 to 2023, India lost only three home Tests. But the GG Era has seen that aura crumble. India were swept 0–3 by New Zealand at home, suffered consecutive home defeats to South Africa and New Zealand, and endured four home Test losses within just twelve months.

This sudden vulnerability in familiar conditions is unprecedented in modern Indian cricket and has heavily shaped the criticism surrounding Gambhir’s Test tenure. A team once feared at home now appears uncertain and inconsistent.

5. Player Management Issues in the Transition Phase

Although India are going through a transition, they are not a completely inexperienced side. Many players have been in the system for five or more years, yet the dressing room still feels unsettled. Major shifts the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Cheteshwar Pujara, along with the exits of Shami, Umesh, Rahane, and Ishant could have been managed with more stability.

Instead, constant changes in roles and selections have added to the uncertainty. Shubman Gill’s injury has only deepened the confusion around the top order. Rather than guiding the team smoothly through this phase, Gambhir’s decisions have introduced even more moving parts, leaving the Test side without a clear direction or identity.

The Guwahati Test: A Defining Moment of the GG Era

The second Test against South Africa in Guwahati is widely seen as a silent verdict, a match that could determine the future of Gambhir’s red-ball coaching career. Another home series loss may lead to serious questions about whether he should continue in charge of the Test team.

A defeat here could push the BCCI toward splitting coaching responsibilities between red-ball and white-ball formats just like England. This would intensify criticism of Gambhir’s methods and test the patience of fans who have repeatedly heard the “transition phase” explanation. While the board has publicly backed him, Indian cricket’s support system is famously dependent on results. And in the GG Era, the clock is ticking fastest in the longest format.

Here is my rating for his tenure so far:

Comment what is yours.

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