Gautam Gambhir vs Rahul Dravid: Comparing the coaching records of the two after 19 matches

Former opener Gautam Gambhir has had a dismal start to his stint as Team India's head coach. He took over the reins after Rahul Dravid stepped down from his role after the Men in Blue clinched the 2024 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies.

Gambhir, fresh from winning the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) title as the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor, was handed over the job. However, he has had a mixed bag so far at the helm of the Indian cricket team.

India suffered their first Test whitewash in a three-match series at home against New Zealand last year under Gambhir. They also relinquished the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) for the first time in a decade.

Gambhir's early days as India's head coach have earned comparisons with Rahul Dravid who enjoyed an excellent run at the helm of the team. On that note, let's compare the coaching records of the two after the first 19 matches.

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Rahul Dravid's records after 19 matches as India head coach

Former skipper Rahul Dravid took over the mantle of the Indian cricket team from Ravi Shastri after the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman. The former batter was a successful coach even before taking the job of the Men in Blue. He guided India to the U19 World Cup title and also oversaw the growth of domestic cricketers at the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

During his time at the NCA, Dravid built a strong bench strength, which benefitted India throughout his tenure.

Dravid's first assignment as India's head coach was the three-match T20I series against New Zealand at home, which they won 3-0. The following two-match Test series against the Blackcaps also resulted in a win for the home side.

Rahul Dravid's first away series as an India head coach came when they toured South Africa early in 2022. Although India began the three-match affair with a thumping 113-run victory, they lost the last two games to go down 1-2 in the series. The Men in Blue also had a difficult run in the three ODIs, suffering a clean sweep.

India then hosted the West Indies for a limited-overs series. The hosts were lethal at home, clean-sweeping the Caribbeans in three ODIs and T20Is each. Rohit Sharma and company then hosted Sri Lanka for a three-match T20I, which also they won convincingly.

Overall, Rahul Dravid lost only five out of his first 19 matches as Team India's head coach, with all defeats coming against South Africa away from home. He enjoyed a 100 percent win record in T20Is and lost only three ODIs and two Tests in his first 19 games in charge of the Indian team.

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Gautam Gambhir's records after 19 matches as India head coach

Gambhir took over the charge of the Indian team with big shoes to fill. He also had high expectations from fans having guided the Lucknow Super Giants to two consecutive IPL playoffs and KKR to the title last year.

The 43-year-old's first stint as India's head coach came when the Men in Blue toured Sri Lanka for a white-ball series. While India won the T20Is convincingly, they were handed a shocking 2-0 defeat in the 50-over format.

India then hosted neighbors Bangladesh for a two-match Test series and three ODIs. Rohit and company were under pressure at times but eventually whitewashed the Bangla Tigers across both formats.

However, India's dream run came to a halt after the Bangladesh series, as New Zealand thrashed India 3-0 in a Test series at home. It was also their first three-Test series whitewash at home.

India, who landed on Australian shores on the back of winning two consecutive Border-Gavaskar series Down Under, also went down against Australia in a five-match affair. Despite winning the first Test in Perth, India lost three out of the last four Tests to lose the series 1-3.

Overall, Gautam Gambhir has lost eight out of his first 19 games in charge of the Indian team. The former Delhi cricketer lost six out of 10 Tests and two ODIs in the first 19 games in charge of the Men in Blue.

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Conclusion

Rahul Dravid lost only five matches in his first 19 games as Team India's head coach, while Gambhir has suffered eight defeats. Dravid tasted more success than Gambhir during the early days as India's coach, purely based on numbers.