‘No Social Media till T20 WC’: India Coach Gautam Gambhir Urged After ‘Unlimited Authority’ Remark

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s cryptic tweet replying to Shashi Tharoor sparked a social media storm over a coach’s authority. Veteran Ajinkya Rahane urged Gambhir to avoid social media and focus on the team ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir sparked a storm on social media with his cryptic tweet in reply to Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP, Shashi Tharoor’s praise for him ahead of the first T20I series against New Zealand at the Vidarbha Cricket Stadium (VCA) in Vadodara.

Tharoor described that being India’s coach was the ‘hardest job in PM’s’, while hailing Gambhir’s composure and calmness despite intense scrutiny over his coaching duties, especially amid recent criticism regarding team selection following Team India’s first-ever ODI series defeat to New Zealand at home in January this year. However, Gambhir’s response to the Congress leader’s praise sparked a debate online.

Taking to his X handle (formerly Twitter), Gambhir stated that a coach does not have an ‘unlimited authority’ over the team and hinted that with time, people would understand the logic behind his decisions, while also expressing his amusement at speculations of ‘being pitted against my own who are the very best!’

‘Stay Away from Social Media’

Gautam Gambhir’s cryptic post on X sparked an intense debate on social media, with fans questioning his remarks and discussing the extent of a coach’s authority over the team.

Amid the social media storm, the veteran Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane advised his former national teammate to stay away from social media and avoid thinking too much about people’s opinions, adding that being Team India’s head coach is a ‘very responsible job’.

“My only response to this is that GG should probably stay away from social media,” Rahane said on the Cricbuzz show.

“Probably not think too much about what people are saying about him or telling him. He played his cricket in a great manner, and now he's coaching Team India, which is a very responsible job,” he added.

Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach of Team India in July 2024, succeeding Rahul Dravid. However, former India opener has had a shaky tenure as a head coach, losing the ODI series against Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Zealand, the Test whitewash at the hands of New Zealand and South Africa at home, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series defeat to Australia, resulting in India’s failure to qualify for the WTC Final.

No Social Media till World Cup

Ajinkya Rahane further stated that Gautam Gambhir should avoid using social media at least till T20 World Cup 2026, which is a crucial assignment for the India opener as a head coach this year.

“He should stay away from social media and focus on the team. That's my personal opinion. Let's just focus on the main thing: stay away from social media till the World Cup is over,” Rahane added.

Though Team India has been inconsistent with its results in ODIs and Tests under Gautam Gambhir as a head coach, the Men in Blue have not a single T20I series since the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2024 and won the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup last year, giving some assurance of stability ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026.

The ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, in which Team India took an unassailable 3-0 lead after winning the third match in Guwahati, is the final preparation for the upcoming edition of the marquee event, which will begin on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.

As defending champions, the Men in Blue aim to maintain their momentum and fine-tune combinations ahead of the 10th edition of the T20 World Cup.