‘Two-faced’: Old video emerges about Gautam Gambhir’s take on Rohit Sharma’s ODI captaincy

An old video of Gautam Gambhir is doing the rounds on social media. In the video clip, the former India player is speaking about Rohit Sharma being the Team India captain.

“If Rohit Sharma doesn’t become the India captain, it’s India’s misfortune, not Rohit Sharma’s. If he doesn’t become the captain in white-ball cricket or T20 cricket, it’s a shame,” Gambhir says in the video, likely before Sharma took over as the Team India captain in 2021-22.

“It’s a shame because Rohit Sharma cannot do anything more than this,” Gambhir further says in the video.

“Never seen anyone more hypocritical and two-faced than Gautam Gambhir. The same guy who once said, “If Rohit Sharma doesn’t become India’s captain, it’s India’s loss, not Rohit’s,” now doesn’t want him as captain after becoming coach himself,” says a Twitter (now X) user while sharing the old clip.

Gautam Gambhir is under fire after Rohit Sharma’s removal as the Team India captain. Sharma has a top-notch record as India’s ODI captain. India won 42 out of 56 matches under his captaincy, maintaining a 75% winning record.

In ODI World Cups, Rohit Sharma-led India won 10 out of 11 matches, having a 90.90% winning record. With the 2027 ODI World Cup approaching, it was believed that Rohit Sharma would remain India’s captain. However, Shubman Gill has now replaced him as India’s ODI captain even though Sharma is still in the team for the upcoming Australia tour.

“A player of Rohit’s stature in a leadership role would have meant he would get to drive his philosophy in the dressing room. But with him playing only in ODIs, a format which is played the least, it could have disturbed the team culture,” BCCI sources told The Times of India.

“Gambhir had taken a back seat in Tests and ODIs in the first six months of his assignment. But, the debacles against New Zealand and Australia prompted him to take charge more firmly,” the insider added.

Social media reaction

Gautam Gambhir’s old video about Rohit’s captaincy drew strong reactions. Many blame Sharma’s age being the reason behind the change as Team India is going through a transition phase. However, others blamed Gambhir for the decision.

“If you look at his history as coach he has always moved senior players out fairly quickly and trusted fresh blood,” commented one user.

“Looks like, if he lingers around for a couple of more years, we will see har shit rana as all format captain,” quipped another user while hinting at Gambhir’s perceived bias for the KKR bowler.

Another user remarked, “He (GG) doesn’t get a chance when he is playing and Dhoni dominated him. So now he is trying to dominate whole BCCI. Country should remember, we already lost test championship under his tenure already. He will end as another Greg Chappell because karma and Sharma won’t leave.”

“Now it’s his loss,” came from another.

“He will ruin the Indian cricket,” predicted another for Gautam Gambhir.