Gautam Gambhir (ANI image)

Despite enjoying major success as both an international cricketer and head coach, Gautam Gambhir has come under sharp criticism from former India cricketer Atul Wassan, who accused him of being a “bully” within team environments.Gambhir took over as head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team on July 10, 2024, replacing Rahul Dravid. His tenure so far has delivered contrasting results. Under his leadership, India achieved historic dominance in white-ball cricket by becoming the first team to simultaneously hold the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and Asia Cup 2025 titles.However, India’s Test performances have declined sharply during the same period. The team suffered rare home series whitewashes against the New Zealand national cricket team and the South Africa national cricket team, while also losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to the Australia national cricket team for the first time in a decade.Despite the setbacks in red-ball cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is reportedly backing Gambhir long-term, with discussions of extending his contract beyond the 2027 ODI World Cup and potentially through the 2028 T20 World Cup and Los Angeles Olympics.Speaking in an interview with Vickey Lalwani, Wassan launched a scathing assessment of Gambhir’s personality and management style, claiming his aggressive approach dates back to his early cricketing days in Delhi.“I have known him personally since he was a child. I have had my issues with him. With him, it’s about my way or the highway. He is like that, and he would bully a lot, even in Delhi cricket,” Wassan said.“His nature is like that, right from the start. He came from money, an excellent player, and he is intelligent. His ego is on a different level. He thinks that if he says it’s night when it’s morning, it will be believed to be night. Fall in line. If you don’t fall in line, you are on my hit list. He will try to harm you, but he has achieved a lot in cricket, and his nature helped him in cricket,” he added.Wassan further suggested that Gambhir’s confrontational personality was a key factor behind his success as a player, but questioned whether that same attitude still works in a coaching role.“The player he became is because of his nature. He couldn’t give his best unless he fought. He probably goes and fights with the window in his home. But he hasn’t realised when to get off this horse, now that he’s retired, that’s why he is confronting Virat Kohli: over-aggressiveness and an alpha-male kind of personality from Delhi,” Wassan claimed.The former India cricketer also alleged that not everyone inside the Indian dressing room is comfortable with Gambhir’s strict approach.“I am sure that all the players cannot be in a very happy place. Somebody will be sleeping on needles. This happens, personal likes and dislikes, and that too with such a strong personality. With personal likes and dislikes, and leading them with a stick, if you keep on winning, then it’s fine. But if you lose, then you need to listen to criticism,” he said.Although Wassan hinted that some Indian players are unhappy with the current environment, he refused to reveal any names publicly.“I know one or two of them; they won’t say it openly. I can’t say their names in this show. Everyone knows what’s happening. But after sidelining those players, if you win, then it’s your world. It’s a team sport; nobody will listen to the player. If the coach wins even after all this, then the coach is right, and the player is wrong,” Wassan concluded.