England head coach Gautam Gambhir has defended under-fire Gautam Gambhir ahead of the first T20I on January 22. The two teams will compete in five T20Is before the three-match ODI series starting February 6.

India haven’t dominated the rivals under Gambhir’s tenure so far, with two successive Test series defeats. Sri Lanka also won an ODI series against the Men in Blue after 27 years.

“I have worked with Gautam Gambhir in the past and he is an outstanding leader. He is a strong leader of men and was successful whenever he led a side in the past,” Brendon McCullum said.

“He is still new with the Indian team and there is no dount that he will be able to get the best out of the players,” he added.

McCullum and Gambhir were associated with Kolkata Knight Riders as players and coaches before taking up coaching assignments with England and India, respectively.

The BCCI has decided to take a call on Gambhir’s stint after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. If India manage to lift the trophy, he will continue to remain with the team but a failure could lead to his sacking.