When Gautam Gambhir was appointed India’s head coach in July 2024, replacing Rahul Dravid, the expectations were enormous. The man who had scored match-winning knocks in the 2007 T20 World Cup final and the 2011 ODI World Cup final was now tasked with continuing India’s dominance from the other side of the boundary rope.
The start was rough. A shock ODI series loss to Sri Lanka on debut, followed by Test whitewashes at home against New Zealand and South Africa, had critics calling for his head by early 2025.
Then came the trophies.
In February 2025, India won the ICC Champions Trophy, beating New Zealand in the Dubai final to end a 12-year wait for the title. Reports of Gambhir’s potential sacking evaporated overnight. Six months later, India lifted the Asia Cup 2025, defeating Pakistan in the final, cementing Gambhir’s credentials as a white-ball coach of the highest order.
Tonight in Ahmedabad completed the hat-trick. India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the T20 World Cup 2026 final, becoming the first team to defend the title, the first to win it on home soil, and the first to claim three T20 World Cup titles. ICC Cricket Sanju Samson’s 46-ball 89 and Jasprit Bumrah’s 4/15 were the standout performances in a comprehensive team effort. Olympics
Three ICC tournaments as coach. Three trophies. Gautam Gambhir has never lost a final — as player, mentor, or coach — and tonight, before 86,000 fans singing Vande Mataram, he added the grandest one yet to that unblemished record.