Manoj Tiwary, former Indian cricketer, has criticized the selection of Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of the Indian national cricket team, stating that Gambhir is more suited for mentoring IPL teams rather than leading the national side. Tiwary cited several poor performances, including India's recent losses in Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, to support his argument that Gambhir’s appointment was a mistake. He believes that Gambhir lacks the necessary coaching experience to manage the national team and that more experienced figures like VVS Laxman and Sairaj Bahutule would have been better choices.

Tiwary also challenged the idea that Gambhir’s leadership was the key to Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) success, emphasizing the role of Chandrakant Pandit, KKR's domestic coach, in the team's turnaround. He argued that Gambhir’s limited coaching experience with IPL franchises cannot be compared to the expertise needed to coach at the international level.

Furthermore, Tiwary spoke about the mishandling of R Ashwin’s situation during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, claiming that Ashwin was unfairly sidelined in favor of other spinners, which he described as an insult to Ashwin’s capabilities. Tiwary stressed the importance of treating players with respect and dignity, suggesting that such decisions could negatively impact player morale in the long term.