Former India player turned commentator Irfan Pathan has said that Gautam Gambhir would have made the Indian batters hear the reality after their below-par performance in their T20 World Cup 2026 match against the United States of America (USA). However, he added that Gambhir wouldn’t have spoken much about cricket when the head coach invited the team home for dinner as well.

During a discussion on JioHotstar, Pathan said, “I have heard those words, ‘Do you want to hear the truth?’ You will expect that from Gautam for sure. He won’t speak much about cricket at home. When you invite the team home and sit together and have dinner, you want to keep a slightly soft atmosphere. However, on the ground, the way the batters performed against USA, Gautam would have definitely used those words in the dressing room, and he would have made the batters listen to the truth.”

“However, it’s the first match. The team is coming after playing excellent cricket. So you don’t want to go into too much detail. As it’s said, too much analysis leads to paralysis. So I am sure Gautam wouldn’t have done that. You let one match go,” he further added.

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However, Irfan Pathan also opined on the potential changes in Team India’s playing XI for their T20 World Cup 2026 match against Namibia.

“My eyes are already on the match on the 15th. Considering that, can the same team play against Namibia? There will be changes. If Bumrah comes, a fast bowler will go out. Considering where you are playing against Pakistan, will you want to go towards one more spinner?” he replied.

“If you want to do that, do you want to play one more spinner against Namibia? That one thing would definitely be there in the Indian team’s thought process. It will be interesting to see what they do. I will definitely want them to play the XI that will play against Pakistan,” Irfan Pathan concluded.