The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially reacted to the rumors of sacking India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of the white-ball series against New Zealand at home.
Gautam Gambhir has been incredible as the head coach in white-ball cricket, but when it comes to Test cricket, the Indian cricket team faced the worst.
BCCI Approached VVS Laxman to Replace Gautam Gambhir as Test Coach: Devajit Saikia Breaks Silence
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has directly denied explosive reports that the board approached batting legend VVS Laxman to replace Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of India’s Test team.
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Saikia revealed that no such move was ever discussed, and there has been no internal conversation about replacing Gautam Gambhir in the red-ball setup.
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Devajit Saikia was quoted as saying by AajTak, “There was no discussion about Gautam’s test coaching being replaced; such things are nothing but rumors.”
There was no discussion about Gautam’s test coaching to be replaced : such things are nothing but rumours- BCCI secy Devajit Saikia to AajTak
— Nitin K Srivastav (@Nitin_sachin) December 28, 2025
The Performance Pressure: Gambhir’s Test Record in Focus
There have been calls for sacking Gambhir as India’s Test head coach after team’s poor performance in the toughest format of the game. Under Gambhir’s stint, India lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia after 10 years and the Test series at home.
South Africa clean-swept India 2-0 in a two-match Test series last month, and in 2024, New Zealand whitewashed them in a three-match Test series 3-0 at home after almost three decades. These Test defeats have raised serious question marks about Gambhir’s credibility as Test coach.
How VVS Laxman’s Name Explodes in Test Coach Rumours
The rumors of he National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman being approached for the Test coach role gained momentum following India’s recent struggles in the longest format under Gautam Gambhir. Laxman is being seen as the prime candidate for coaching India’s Test side.
There were rumors that the BCCI has unofficially approached r Laxman for the position of Test head coach, but the legendary batte denied the position.
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A PTI report reads, “Right after India’s abject surrender against South Africa in the two-Test series at home last month, someone who matters in the cricket board had once again informally approached VVS Laxman to check if he would be interested in coaching the red-ball team. However, it is learned that the legendary batter of yesteryears is happy being the ‘Head of Cricket’ at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.”
The Road Ahead: Gambhir’s Secure Position
BCCI has clarified that Gambhir’s position as India’s head coach is completely safe and that he will continue in the role at least until the 2027 World Cup. The board has full confidence in Gambhir, and there is no move being planned behind the scenes despite this.
A senior BCCI official was quoted as saying by NDTV: “We have not spoken to VVS Laxman either officially or unofficially. The BCCI has complete trust in Gautam Gambhir, and no discussion has been held regarding this matter.”
Gambhir’s Golden White-Ball Run Continue as India Gears Up for New Zealand Series
However, India has achieved massive success in white-ball cricket under Gambhir, winning the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2025 Asia Cup, and the team has not yet lost a T20I series. He has a winning percentage of over 66% across the format as India’s head coach.
Presently, Gambhir and his team are preparing for the white-ball series against New Zealand at home before the big challenge—the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.