“My Job Is To...”: Gautam Gambhir Sends Blunt Message After T20 World Cup 2026 Win

Add as a preferred source on Google

India head coach Gautam Gambhir delivered a powerful message after the team's T20 World Cup 2026 triumph, making it clear that his priority has always been protecting his players rather than answering critics.

India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to successfully defend their T20 World Cup title. But in the aftermath of the historic victory, Gambhir shifted the focus away from himself and toward the dressing room.

Gautam Gambhir responds to critics after T20 World Cup 2026 win

When asked about proving his critics wrong after the title triumph, Gambhir gave a blunt response.

"My job is not to prove critics wrong, my job is to prove my players right," Gambhir said.

The India head coach emphasised that his role is to support and protect players, especially in an era where social media criticism can be relentless.

"My job is to stand like a shield for my players. These days the pressure and criticism on social media are very high. I always protect them from that trolling and take all the criticism and trolling on myself."

Gambhir highlights impact of social media criticism

Gambhir pointed out how quickly players can become targets online, often after just one poor performance.

"After just one match, players get heavily trolled. They are human, mistakes can happen to anyone," he said.

The former India opener has often spoken about shielding the dressing room from outside noise, and his comments reflected that philosophy again after the World Cup victory.

Honesty in the dressing room matters most

Gambhir also underlined that his focus remains on the work done inside the dressing room rather than external narratives.

"I always do my work with honesty. My job is to work honestly with the 15 players who sit together in the dressing room for those 30 minutes, without any agenda."

He concluded by saying that personal integrity matters more than public perception.

"As long as I know in my heart that I am honest, it doesn't matter whether we win or lose."

Gambhir's comments came after India became the first team in men's cricket to successfully defend the T20 World Cup, reinforcing a culture that has emphasised collective responsibility and trust within the squad.