‘I should be allowed to make mistakes': Gautam Gambhir sheds light on his relationship with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma

Gautam Gambhir has endured a mixed outcome as the Team India head coach so far. He recently guided India to the T20 World Cup title at home, which the Men in Blue successfully defended.

India also clinched the 2025 Champions Trophy title under him, and he also oversaw India's drawn Test series against England in England, which ended in a 2-2 series scoreline.

Gautam Gambhir, though, has had his fair share of disappointments. India lost 3-0 to New Zealand in a Test series at home in 2024, which was India's first Test series loss at home in 12 years.

That was followed by a horrendous performance Down Under, at the Border-Gavaskar Trophy later in the 2024-25 season. India lost that series with a 3-1 margin, with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma both enduring a forgettable series.

In May 2025, both Rohit and Virat announced their retirements from Test cricket in May 2025, and there were reports that the duo were "forced to retire" from the format amid their strained relationship with Gambhir.

“I am human, I should be allowed to make mistakes. Players should be allowed to make mistakes. I must have made mistakes in the last 18 months. I do not shy away from that.

"But I have always believed in one thing: wrong decisions with the right intent are acceptable. But wrong decisions with wrong intent are absolutely not acceptable in that dressing room,” Gambhir said at the RevSportz Conclave in Kolkata.

The 44-year-old seemed pretty confident about himself, and he hoped to continue doing his job with honesty.

“Till the time I am doing everything with honesty, till the time I can be honest with everyone in that dressing room, I can look into their eyes and talk to them, I think I am doing a fair job with my position. That is something I can live with. I don’t need to clarify anything and everything that appears on social media,” he added.

Both Virat and Rohit had already retired from T20Is, following India's triumphant T20 World Cup campaign in West Indies and the USA a couple of years ago.

Kohli, in fact, was the second-highest run-getter during India's three-match ODI series against New Zealand at home earlier this year. He scored 240 runs from three matches at an average of 80, including one fifty and one century.

Rohit managed to score just 61 runs from three matches. However, despite being senior players in the ODI squad, Gambhir had hinted that they are not automatic selections for the 2027 ODI World Cup just yet.

"They are quality players, and their experience will be invaluable. With the 2027 World Cup still 2.5 years away, it's important to stay focused on the present. Kohli and Rohit are both exceptional players, and their return will be a big boost.

"Hopefully, they have a successful tour, and more importantly, the team comes out with a strong series performance in Australia," he had said in October 2025, ahead of the ODI series against Australia.