India enter the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo with a 1-0 lead after their 165-run victory in Galle. However, the series has also kept attention on a team attempting to build a new Test side following the departure of some of its biggest names.
Since Gambhir became head coach, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin have retired from Test cricket. India have also lost Test series against New Zealand and South Africa at home and endured a difficult tour of Australia.
India have won five of their 10 Tests in the current World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and are ranked fifth, behind Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh. They were also whitewashed 2-0 by South Africa at home in 2025, following a 3-0 home series defeat to New Zealand in the previous WTC cycle. Gambhir is the only India coach to oversee two home Test series whitewashes.
Despite those results, Gambhir said India are not in decline.
“My job is to win trophies. That's all I believe in and care for. That is the difference between me and everyone. I don't care about views or likes,” he said.
Since Gambhir became head coach, India have won the 2025 Champions Trophy and the 2026 T20 World Cup titles. However, he has continued to face criticism over the team's Test performances, while there have also been discussions about India moving to separate coaches for red-ball and white-ball cricket.
Ahead of the second Test, Gambhir said team selection will depend on choosing the bowling attack that gives India the best chance of taking 20 wickets.
“We will try to field the best bowling attack that can get us 20 wickets,” he said.
With India holding a 1-0 series lead in Colombo, the second Test will provide another test of the team's rebuilding phase as Gambhir continues to prioritise results and the pursuit of trophies.
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