Should VVS Laxman continue as India’s T20I coach & replace Gautam Gambhir?

VVS Laxman guided India to 3-0 win over Zimbabwe in T20I series.

Indian Cricket Team currently has Gautam Gambhir as the all-format head coach as he succeeded Rahul Dravid in July 2024. Under Gambhir, India have won major white-ball titles, including the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, although the team has also endured inconsistent bilateral T20I results in recent months.

India, who appointed Shreyas Iyer as new T20I captain after T20 World Cup 2026, lost the series to Ireland and England. This saw Gautam Gambhir facing a lot of criticism, as the team selection became the major talking point.

The recent T20I schedule has also seen India experiment with multiple young players and different combinations as the management builds depth ahead of future ICC events. While Gambhir continues to oversee all three formats, the workload has increased significantly with overlapping international assignments and a packed cricket calendar.

Amid discussions over India’s coaching structure, VVS Laxman has once again impressed while serving as stand-in head coach during the Zimbabwe T20I series, guiding India to a 3-0 clean sweep. The result has reignited debate over whether India should adopt a split-coaching model, with Laxman taking permanent charge of the T20I side.

Should VVS Laxman continue as India’s T20I coach?

Workload management is one of the most significant arguments for Laxman’s appointment. Since Gambhir currently looks after both Tests and ODIs in addition to his T20I duties, the appointment of a dedicated T20I coach will help with the workload involving all three formats.

The appointment will enable Gambhir to spend more time focusing on India’s commitments with Test and ODIs, especially during busy international periods. Laxman has also been successful as an interim coach whenever he has taken over the position of coach of the Indian team.

The former India player has been in charge of many successful tours and assignments in the past, including a recent 3-0 success in the T20I series against Zimbabwe. He has also been aware of young talents working with the younger players, and many of the younger players have made it across to the senior team.

Another aspect that assists Laxman is his long-term association with the National Cricket Academy, now known as the BCCI Centre of Excellence. He gained practical knowledge of the cricketing talent pool in India while working closely with the India A side as well as Under-19 cricketers during his time there.

However, there are concerns regarding the practicality of the split coach model. Having separate coaches in different formats can lead to conflicting tactics being applied for players featuring in different teams. Furthermore, the BCCI has to take a formal long-term decision about itself rather than a temporary one regarding certain tours.

Given Laxman’s success in his interim stint, experience with the young crop of players, and helping to ease the burden on the head coach who works across formats, Laxman seems like an excellent candidate to continue as the T20I coach if the BCCI implements the split model. Nonetheless, the final word in this would rest with the board.

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