India head coach Gautam Gambhir has been under fire after the hosts lost the first Test to South Africa by 30 runs at Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata. The pressure has only doubled with the Proteas in a commanding position against the Men in Blue in the ongoing second Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. They are now on the brink of losing their first home Test series to the Proteas since the 1999/2000 series. Notably, Gambhir hasn’t tasted much success with the Test team since joining as India’s coach in 2024 following the T20 World Cup. The 44-year-old began his career on a positive note as India registered a 2-0 win over Bangladesh, but then suffered a 0-3 whitewash to New Zealand. Team India then travelled to Australia but lost the series 1-3, failing to live up to the expectations of completing a hat-trick of wins Down Under. The Men in Blue then witnessed the beginning of a new era as Shubman Gill replaced Rohit Sharma as skipper. The Punjab-born player led by example, helping India settle for a 2-2 draw in a five-match series in England before India completed a 2-0 win over the West Indies at home. However, India’s batting has been questioned once again (against spin and left-arm seamers) following their poor outing against South Africa in the two Tests. Notably, the Men in Blue failed to chase down 124 runs in the series opener. The home team was then bundled out for 201 in the first innings of the second Test, where the Temba Bavuma-led side piled up 489 in their first essay. While Suryakumar Yadav-led India are yet to lose a T20I series under Gambhir’s coaching, they have lost two out of three ODI series. The Men in Blue lost two away ODI series 1-2 in Sri Lanka (2024) and 1-2 in Australia (2025). Having said that, India won the home series against England 3-0 and lifted the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy title under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy during his coaching stint. It’s worth mentioning that Team India’s next Test assignment is in Sri Lanka in August 2026, but Gambhir’s place has been under scrutiny. Here are five possible candidates who might replace him as the new head coach of Team India: VVS Laxman VVS Laxman, who is currently the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), has served as a backup head coach for India on several occasions. The 51-year-old coached the team three times in 2022 in T20Is in Ireland, the Asia Cup, and during the New Zealand tour for the white-ball series. He also coached the team to the 2023 Asian Games and T20Is in Zimbabwe and South Africa in 2024. During his coaching stints, India won all their T20I series, including gold at the Asian Games. In addition, Laxman also serves as head coach of the U19 and India A side, which makes him a prime candidate to take over the key role from Gautam Gambhir. Sourav Ganguly Sourav Ganguly, who is currently the head coach of the SA20 side Pretoria Capitals, could become the next Indian captain after Rahul Dravid to coach Team India. Apart from Pretoria, Ganguly worked as an advisor for the Delhi Capitals in 2019. The former captain then rejoined the side as a mentor in 2024. He also served as the Director of Cricket for DC in 2023 (WPL) and 2024 (WPL and IPL). Apart from his experience as BCCI chairman and the listed assignments, Ganguly has led India in 195 matches (Tests and ODIs). The cricketer-turned-administrator is currently serving as the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). He could be a potential candidate to replace Gautam Gambhir if he decides to leave his role at CAB. Andy Flower Former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower has years of coaching experience with several teams around the world, including stints with three IPL franchises. They are the Punjab Kings (assistant), the Lucknow Super Giants (head coach), and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (won the trophy as head coach in 2025). The 57-year-old has also served England’s national team in multiple roles (assistant coach and team director) from 2007 to 2014. During his stint, England won the Ashes thrice (2009, 2010/2011, and 2013). The England cricket team also lifted the 2010 T20 World Cup in the West Indies. His other stints were Peshawar Zalmi (2016) and the Multan Sultans (2020) in the Pakistan Super League, St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League (2020), the Gulf Giants in the International League T20 (2022), and the Trent Rockets (The Hundred 2021-2025). He was recently appointed as the head coach of the London Spirit ahead of the 2026 season. Mahela Jayawardena Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena could be another possible replacement for Gautam Gambhir. Under his coaching, IPL franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) won the 2017, 2019, and 2020 editions of the tournament. The 48-year-old has also worked with international teams like England (batting consultant), West Indies (head coach), and Sri Lanka (consultant coach). Apart from the above, he has had stints with the Khulna Titans (Bangladesh Premier League) and the Southern Brave (The Hundred). Like Ganguly, Jayawardena has led his national team in 126 matches, including Sri Lanka’s maiden T20 World Cup glory in 2014. Last year, he rejoined MI ahead of the IPL 2025 season. With three IPL titles, Jayawardena remains the sought-after foreign coach for Team India. As a result, the BCCI might try to bring Jayawardena aboard if they decide to go back to overseas coaches after Duncan Fletcher (2011 to 2015). Tom Moody Former Australian cricketer Tom Moody has won the IPL 2016 trophy with SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). Apart from a stint with SRH (2013-2019), he also worked with Punjab Kings (2008-2010) in the IPL. Apart from coaching, he rejoined SRH as Director of Cricket ahead of IPL 2021. The 60-year-old has also served the same role for the Melbourne Renegades in 2014. The veteran recently replaced Zaheer Khan as LSG’s global director of cricket. Moody’s first big assignment was with Sri Lanka, whom he coached from 2005 to 2007, helping the side reach the 2007 World Cup final. The 60-year-old also had coaching stints with Rangpur Riders (Bangladesh Premier League), Multan Sultans (Pakistan Super League), Montreal Tigers (GT20 Canada), and Western Australia (KFC Twenty20 Big Bash).
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