Gautam Gambhir has endured a testing few months as India’s head coach, with a string of team setbacks placing him and his support staff under intense scrutiny. After a disappointing ODI tour of Australia and a heavy Test series loss in South Africa, the trend continued with an ODI series defeat to New Zealand in January 2025 — results that have inflamed debate about Gambhir’s methods and team management.

Speculation even went so far as to suggest Gambhir could be removed before his contract ends in 2027, but BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has pushed back firmly on such talk. Speaking to Sportstar, Saikia stressed that while public opinion is unavoidable in a cricket-obsessed nation, decision-making rests with qualified panels inside the board.

“We have a cricket committee in the BCCI, who are ex-cricketers. They are dedicated and make all the decisions,” Devajit Saikia said, noting that selections are handled by five qualified selectors and that counter-opinions are part of the process.

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Gambhir’s tenure has indeed begun on a rocky note. The coach’s early period in charge saw India lose an ODI series to Sri Lanka, suffer a rare Test series defeat to New Zealand, and endure a chastening tour of Australia. Reports of dressing-room friction and off-field tensions have only added fuel to the fire, prompting pundits and former players to voice strong views on the team’s direction.

Yet Devajit Saikia’s response underscores an important institutional reality: the BCCI operates through committees and selection panels, not on the basis of headlines or social media storms. “India is a country of 140 crore people, and everybody is a cricket expert,” he observed. “All the opinion makers are free to give their opinions… But the final decision is always taken by the cricket committee as well as the selectors.”

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For Gambhir, the immediate task is clear — steady the ship, get results, and rebuild trust within the dressing room. The broader context matters too: coaching tenures are rarely judged on short-term dips alone, particularly when a coach inherits systemic issues. While gossip about early termination made for talk-show fodder, Gambhir’s position remains intact for now, with the BCCI signalling that any major move would be led by process, not pressure.