- By Gurmeet Batra
- Tue, 10 Mar 2026 03:33 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
After winning the T20 World Cup 2026, India head coach Gautam Gambhir has got down to the business again to prepare a road map for the next year’s 2027 ODI World Cup as the Indian players participate in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, starting on March 28.
This solid comment came just some hours after India lifted the T20 World Cup at home, beating New Zealand by 96 runs in the final showdown at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
The 50-50 over extravaganza is slated to take place in South Africa and Zimbabwe for the first time since 2003, which will bring India batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli back to the international set up. The maestros have retired from T20Is and Tests and now only feature in ODIs.
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In 2023, India came agonisingly close to lifting the ODI trophy, but the heartbreak of November 19 denied them the glory as Australia pummeled the hosts by six wickets.
The Indian head coach said the coaching staff will now take a well-deserved break post-IPL 2026, regrouping to kickstart preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
“The planning for the 2027 World Cup will start after the IPL. There are 25 to 30 ODIs between IPL 2026 and the World Cup. This format is not played a lot these days. The earlier we start planning, the better it will be for us,” Gambhir told India Today.
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"South Africa is not an easy place to play cricket. We have to figure out combinations and identify the players who are suited to the conditions. The selectors and the coaches will do that. By the time IPL 2026 ends, India will have a blueprint for the ODI World Cup 2027," Gambhir added.
Gambhir didn't mince words when asked about team atmosphere-related queries a day after India's T20 World Cup triumph. He highlighted that the team's direction is on winning trophies, not achieving individual milestones.
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"My philosophy is simple - if the majority of the team members are not happy with me, there is no point in me staying in that dressing room. If the majority is happy, I am doing the right job. If you report genuinely, you will know how the atmosphere of the team is. The Indian team's atmosphere can't stay hidden from anybody because there is so much scrutiny, limelight and media attention," the coach said.
"Yeh sab bekaar ki cheezein hain jab bola jaata hai ki team ka mahaul accha nahi hai (It's all rubbish when people say that the team atmosphere is not good). Neither I nor the captain has to say anything. If you follow us closely - from travelling to practice sessions to player interviews - you will know how the atmosphere of the side is,” the head coach said.