Harbhajan Singh Defends Gautam Gambhir, Backs Shubman Gill as ‘Ideal’ Captain Amid Cricket Shift

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has backed Gautam Gambhir amid the criticism surrounding the India head coach, while throwing his support behind Shubman Gill’s leadership and issuing a wider warning about the future of international cricket as T20 leagues continue to dominate the global game.

Speaking to PTI in a podcast interview at its headquarters in New Delhi, Harbhajan offered a candid assessment of Indian cricket, defending Gambhir’s straightforward approach while arguing that the growing popularity of franchise cricket could eventually come at the cost of bilateral international cricket.

For Harbhajan, the two issues are connected by a larger question facing the sport: what does cricket want to prioritise as the calendar becomes increasingly crowded and audiences increasingly gravitate towards T20 leagues?

‘Why is Gautam Gambhir getting so much flak?’

Harbhajan said he has struggled to understand why Gambhir has attracted such intense criticism since taking over as India’s head coach.

“Why is Gautam getting so much flak? I have never understood why when a team doesn’t do well, people always tend to blame the coach. The Gautam that I have known, was a very passionate player of his time, one who always put the team first,” Harbhajan said.

Gambhir’s tenure has already brought significant success in white-ball cricket, with India winning the T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and Asia Cup under his tutelage. The Test side, however, has endured a difficult period, including heavy defeats against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, with the latter two series ending in home whitewashes.

That has placed Gambhir’s methods and handling of the Test side under considerable scrutiny.

Harbhajan, though, believes part of the criticism stems from Gambhir’s personality rather than necessarily his cricketing philosophy.

‘Many people can’t digest the truth’

Harbhajan recalled Gambhir as a relatively introverted youngster when he first entered the Indian dressing room, gradually forming a close group with players including Virender Sehwag, Amit Mishra and Munaf Patel.

“Bohot Badhiya Banda hai woh. He is very straightforward. For many people, Gautam might say bitter things but what he speaks is the bitter truth,” Harbhajan said.

“Now, many people can’t digest the truth, and perhaps the tone of his comments makes people feel that he is a slightly difficult person.”

Harbhajan believes that perception should not be allowed to define Gambhir.

“Don’t judge a book by its cover. He is a brilliant guy. He has got a good sense of how the game should be played,” he said.

And according to Harbhajan, that philosophy is relatively simple.

“I know one thing for sure. Now that he is the coach, he will want his team to imbibe just one philosophy and that is ‘Play To Win’,” he said.

“He is someone who will not mind a defeat if the intent is to win a match. If a team goes for a draw, probably he won’t take it.”

Harbhajan Singh backs Shubman Gill despite early captaincy struggles

Harbhajan was equally bullish about India’s new Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, describing him as an ideal leader despite a mixed start to his captaincy career.

Gill’s teams have lost ODI series against Australia, New Zealand and England, but Harbhajan believes those results should not be used to make an early judgement on his leadership.

“Success doesn’t come overnight. We have seen how he stamped his credentials on captaincy in England last year (India drew series 2-2). That was a testament to his abilities as a leader and a batter,” he said.

“He scored more runs than anybody. I rate him highly. The team looked committed. There will be ups and downs but he is a top cricketer and has a great cricket brain.”

For Harbhajan, Gill’s qualities away from the cricket field are just as important.

“Moreover, he is a fantastic human being and that does matter a lot,” he said.

But Harbhajan fears international cricket is losing the battle

Harbhajan’s concerns extend beyond the Indian team.

The former off-spinner believes the growing dominance of T20 leagues could eventually threaten the very existence of bilateral international cricket, particularly as fans increasingly gravitate towards high-profile franchise competitions.

“Already it has happened, 70 per cent (people are watching club cricket instead of international cricket),” Harbhajan said.

He pointed to the difference in audience interest between marquee international match-ups and less high-profile bilateral series.

“If India plays Australia then there is good viewership but if India is playing Sri Lanka or Afghanistan, the viewership is not there. Australia playing England, the viewership is there but not for an England Bangladesh series,” he said.

His own preferences are similarly clear.

“If there is an India-Australia, India-South Africa or India-England series, I’d love to watch it. I would pay to watch Test cricket. I have no interest in ODIs. I have seen it, played it,” said Harbhajan, who took 269 wickets in 236 ODIs.

‘Test cricket is main cricket’

Despite his concerns about the direction of the sport, Harbhajan remains firmly convinced that Test cricket must remain at its centre.

“Test cricket is main cricket. All the stakeholders of the game should protect Test cricket and promote it. Because Test cricket is the best cricket, it tests you in every possible way as a cricketer,” he said.

The problem, however, is that franchise cricket has built an entirely different proposition around the game.

From the IPL to Australia’s Big Bash League and England’s The Hundred, T20 competitions have developed their own identities and fan bases, while offering a condensed product packed with global stars.

Harbhajan believes the numbers are already telling the story.

“You see The Hundred, the grounds are packed, BBL the grounds are full. In IPL, you can’t find tickets. Already that culture has developed that two months of IPL is a festival…a carnival,” he said.

“So that shift has happened in which international cricket has taken a backseat.”

‘It would be difficult’ for international cricket to regain its old stature

Harbhajan does not believe international cricket can simply reverse that trend.

“It would be difficult to (for international cricket to get) back to its former stature because the leagues have become so big,” he said.

“In the league, the fans get to see a mixture of everything, competing with each other, so that’s a different spectacle.”

He would still like international cricket to regain some of its lost relevance, but accepts that the IPL in particular has become a cultural phenomenon.

“I would want international cricket to get more attention because it deserves it. But this two-month window (of IPL), a lot of people’s interest is in that,” he said.

T20 has changed how players and fans see cricket

Harbhajan also believes the shift is not simply about television audiences or packed stadiums. T20 cricket has changed the mindset of both players and spectators.

The rise of franchise cricket has already created difficult choices for players, with the West Indies Cricket Board struggling to retain some of its leading cricketers and players such as Kane Williamson and Devon Conway in New Zealand choosing global T20 opportunities over central contracts.

“The way things have changed with the T20s coming, the mindset of batters has changed, the public’s perception has changed. There’s lack of time, so people want to see a shorter format,” Harbhajan said.

“Test cricket has come to the backseat whereas it should be at the top level.”

For Harbhajan, that is ultimately the contradiction facing modern cricket. The sport’s most demanding format remains, in his view, the ultimate test of a player, while the commercial and entertainment pull of T20 leagues continues to grow.

And as Harbhajan’s comments on Gambhir and Gill suggest, even Indian cricket is now operating within that rapidly changing landscape – balancing the demands of winning international cricket while navigating a world where the biggest leagues increasingly command the biggest audiences.