Tiwary Blames Gambhir for Strained India Dressing Room

Former India opener and current commentator Manoj Tiwary on Tuesday blamed head coach Gautam Gambhir for creating an environment he said has strained relations in the Indian dressing room and contributed to a spate of senior players stepping away from longer formats. Tiwary made the remarks after Rohit Sharma was replaced as India’s ODI captain by Shubman Gill in October 2025, and amid continuing debate over the roles of Rohit and Virat Kohli ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

Tiwary accused the team management of sidelining established players and said that Gambhir’s coaching style and selection decisions have increased pressure on senior figures. He said, "If the senior players are there... these guys will raise questions if they don't agree to a point. You just made sure that these guys are not there." Tiwary pointed to the recent retirements of Ravichandran Ashwin, and the earlier Test retirements of Rohit and Kohli, as evidence of a deteriorating atmosphere since Gambhir took charge.

Gambhir was appointed India’s head coach in July 2024. Under his tenure the white-ball side has registered notable successes, including Asia Cup and ICC Champions Trophy wins and an extended unbeaten...