Murali Kartik says Gautam Gambhir can block out criticism, speaks on Cricbuzz
Former India spinner Murali Kartik said on Cricbuzz on November 11, 2026 that Gautam Gambhir has the thick skin required to handle criticism and knows how to insulate himself from the noise surrounding his tenure as India's head coach. Kartik's remarks come amid ongoing scrutiny of Gambhir since he became head coach in July 2024.
Gambhir's time in charge has produced strong white-ball results alongside struggles in Tests. India won the Champions Trophy in 2025, the Asia Cup later that year and the T20 World Cup in 2026, while Test defeats include a 0-3 home series loss to New Zealand in 2024, a 1-3 defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia and a 0-2 loss to South Africa at home in 2025. India's recent T20I tour of New Zealand produced mixed results and the side is also engaged in an ongoing ODI series on the same tour.
Kartik said that dealing with public criticism requires emotional resilience and the ability to ignore online commentary. “Unfortunately, that is what you signed up for, and that is what you will get. Sometimes you need to have a very thick skin. Create a skin where nothing hits you. You have to become that sort of person. What social media has done, where anyone can say anything, unfortunately, this is what will happen,” Kartik said on Cricbuzz.
He added that a coach must focus on personal intentions rather than external noise. “You have to insulate yourself from all of that and look at your own intentions. As a coach, you can only look at your intentions, and that is all that matters,” Kartik said on Cricbuzz.
Gambhir responded to criticism over India's preparation after their seven-wicket defeat in the fifth T20I against New Zealand, stressing how results-driven public discussion can be. “If we hadn't won this series, no one would have talked about one practice session. Then everyone would have said, ‘Oh, how poor is this Indian team that everything has gone wrong after the World Cup’. That's the reality. It's no secret that in India, people see only results, nothing else,” Gambhir said.
The T20I sequence in New Zealand saw India take an unassailable 3-0 lead by winning the first three matches before New Zealand recovered to claim the fourth T20I by 87 runs and the fifth by seven wickets in Hamilton, with the tourists ultimately winning the series 3-2. In the ongoing ODI portion of the tour, India won the first two matches, the third was washed out, and the series remained undecided.
India will aim to clinch the ODI rubber in the fourth match at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on November 12, a fixture the touring side has identified as the opportunity to seal the series.
