Former India fast bowler S. Sreesanth has hit out at Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying that the Indian team would benefit more from a mentor than a conventional coach. Touching upon India's recent struggles in Test cricket, Sreesanth said that players representing the national side are already quite experienced. 

He pointed to former India captain MS Dhoni as an example of the type of influential mentor who could play a greater role in guiding players through challenging situations. Under Gambhir's leadership as head coach, India have endured a disappointing run in the Test format, suffering a historic 3-0 home series against New Zealand. And that setback was compounded by a series loss in Australia during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Things became more complicated when South Africa secured a 2-0 series victory on Indian soil. 

"Change the coach, friend. India needs a mentor, not a coach. You have to be a brother first. You can't just laugh when you win and get angry when you lose. You've done well for the country; that's great. That doesn't mean others aren't trying. Have a mentor over a coach," Sreesanth said on The Lallantop's show Guest in the Newsroom.

Sreesanth was also against the idea that Gambhir was the biggest factor behind India's title win at the T20I World Cup 2026, highlighting the major contribution by the players. At the World Cup, India had created history after becoming the first host nation to win the tournament and also the first reigning champion to clinch the title. 

"When the team won the World Cup, all the credit went to Gambhir. But if Sanju Samson hadn't been there, Suryakumar Yadav hadn't captained, and the bowling changes hadn't been made at the right time, would we have won the match?. Was the coach making decisions on the field? It's fine if we have a coach like Ashish Nehra, who remains involved," he said.