Gautam Gambhir Faces Social Media Flak As New Zealand Stun India At Home

India head coach Gautam Gambhir once again became a subject of intense scrutiny on social media as Shubman Gill & Co suffered a 1-2 series defeat against New Zealand. In the deciding third ODI on Sunday, India were made to chase another gigantic target of 338, courtesy of Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips' hundreds. Despite Virat Kohli scoring yet another hundred, India faltered in the chase. Though there remain many factors behind the series defeat, what happened against the Kiwis was an all-round collapse.

Coach Gambhir, whose selection and strategic decisions have been questioned at various intervals since he took over the head coach's role from Rahul Dravid, became a subject of intense criticism on social media. Many fans even unleashed memes, trolling Gambhir.

Gambhir era pic.twitter.com/NmvJ7NS5PM

— PrinCe (@Prince8bx) January 18, 2026

Gautam Gambhir as ICT coach:

- Lost BGT 4-1 after.
- Lost odi series vs sri lanka.
- Lost home test series vs nz.
- Lost home test series vs sa.
- Lost ODI series vs NZ C team.
- First time white washed in home Test series.

Worst coach ever. Sack him immediately. pic.twitter.com/6neTGvvmEt

— Noah (@PantasticNoah) January 18, 2026

Two people consistently breaking old records

1) Virat Kohli
2) Gautam Gambhir

— Gabbar (@GabbbarSingh) January 18, 2026

Gautam Gambhir's “domain” must be the domain which includes humiliating India

Him as a player is something I will remain grateful for but as a coach he is an arrogant mf pic.twitter.com/FHIU7OdEQL

— (@DelhiKaKing18) January 18, 2026

The ODI series loss against New Zealand at home isn't a one-off. For fans, this loss is not an isolated incident but part of a troubling trend under head coach Gambhir. Since the former opening batter took over in mid-2024, the national team has suffered several unprecedented setbacks:

The 2024 Test Whitewash: New Zealand became the first team to sweep India 3-0 in a home Test series.

ODI Slump in Sri Lanka: India lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka for the first time in 27 years shortly after Gambhir took over.

South Africa's Home Dominance: India recently surrendered a home Test series to South Africa, marking another rare failure at home.

And now, the ODI series defeat at home to New Zealand.

The primary source of "flak" directed at Gambhir stems from his selection calls and on-field strategy. Fans and former cricketers alike expressed bewilderment at the exclusion of left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh from the first two ODIs, while many called for Mohammed Shami's return to the one-day team too.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team New Zealand Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir India vs New Zealand 2026 Cricket