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See the full story · 1 sourcesVVS Laxman unsung hero: Gautam Gambhir's role as India coach under scannner as Laxman-Iyer delivers whitewash win vs Zimbabwe originally appeared on Cricket News .
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
VVS Laxman guided India to a 3-0 T20I series sweep over Zimbabwe as interim coach.
Captain Shreyas Iyer praised Laxman’s role in motivating the team throughout the series.
The result sparked questions over Gambhir’s tenure, but Laxman’s stint is not a replacement move.
While Gautam Gambhir faces scrutiny, VVS Laxman’s influence comes to the fore
VVS Laxman was appointed as interim for the Zimbabwe T20I series, which India finished with a 3-0 clean sweep, since Gautam Gambhir was not available. However, the post-series highlight was much more than just a good performance in the series.
A milestone victory for Shreyas Iyer and India 👏 Is this win over Zimbabwe a sign of bigger things to come? ⏰ #ZIMvIND pic.twitter.com/xeDfjXb4Ss
— CricketNews.com (@cricketnews_com) July 25, 2026 Although the likes of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer's first series win as India T20 captain stole the headlines, Laxman played a significant role as the stand-in.
Gambhir, who has been under pressure in the recent past owing to the disappointing results as India head coach, is now under fresh scrutiny from the fans as to whether Laxman deserves more involvement in the team's affairs.
MORE: 'Sooryavanshi is special': Pathan sends warning to Abhishek and Sanju
Shreyas Iyer credits VVS Laxman’s leadership after Zimbabwe sweep
Under Laxman's leadership, India showed a clinical performance and won all three matches in the T20I series. The contest against Zimbabwe also saw the emergence of several new faces in the Indian team.
Shreyas Iyer was under immense pressure after back-to-back series losses against Ireland and England since taking charge as India's new T20I captain, replacing T20 World Cup-winning skipper Suryakumar Yadav at the helm.
After the much-needed series win in Zimbabwe, Iyer pointed out how important the contribution of Laxman was in terms of his motivating nature and guidance.
"Thank you to VVS sir for motivating and inspiring each and every day we step onto the field - everything you mentioned was apt, we could relate to it and thank you to each and every individual," said Iyer to BCCI after completing a series whitewash.
MORE: Poor fielding continues for India in IND vs ZIM T20I despite series sweep
Social media reacts to VVS Laxman’s impact as Gambhir faces pressure
Laxman’s contribution was definitely noticed by the fans and cricket analysts, bringing out the idea that there is a lot about his contribution that has been underestimated, especially since coming off a poor run of results in the UK tour that preceeded.
While Shushant Mehta of Sports Yaari Network branded Laxman as the "unsung hero" of the Zimbabwe series, News 24 Deputy Sports Editor Vaibhav Bhola asked if Gambhir is the real problem.
Unsung hero of this Series is VVS Laxman, we came to Zimbabwe after bein whitewashed by Ireland & England — that’s 6 consecutive defeats without a win. Laxman & Shreyas Iyer delivered a 3-0 victory without trying to steal the limelight.
— Sushant Mehta (@SushantNMehta) July 26, 2026 Gautam Gambhir Is The Real Problem ?
— Vaibhav Bhola 🇮🇳 (@VibhuBhola) July 26, 2026 Meanwhile, another fan in Rajiv painted the picture that, "No Gautam Gambhir, No losses & all one sided trashing. India trashed Zimbabwe by 3-0, the same Zimbabwe which beaten Australia & Sri Lanka at 2026 T20I WC.
"A great win with no negativity in team environment. VVS Laxman & Shreyas Iyer are future of this team. Many more victories…"
No Gautam Gambhir, No losses & all one sided trashing. India trashed Zimbabwe by 3-0, the same Zimbabwe which beaten Australia & Sri Lanka at 2026 T20I WC. A great win with no negativity in team environment. VVS Laxman & Shreyas Iyer are future of this team. Many more victories…
— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) July 26, 2026 Meanwhile, Selfless Cricket pointed out that Laxman was the stand-in for Rahul Dravid during the previous Ireland T20I series that India won 2-0 at home, besides the interim roles in the other Zimbabwe series.
Laxman was also the head coach at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou when Dravid was with the senior team for the ODI World Cup, and interim at the South Africa T20I series 2024 that India won 3-1 when Gambhir was with the Test team preparing for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Meet VVS Laxman - Won Ireland T20i Series 2-0 - Won Zimbabwe ODI Series 3-0 - Won Gold in Asian Games 2023 - Won South Africa T20i Series 1-0 - Won Zimbabwe T20i Series 4-1 - Won Zimbabwe T20i Series 3-0 The silent hero of Indian Cricket that never begged for Credit. pic.twitter.com/J7anIOdrUk
— Selfless Cricket (@SelflessCricket) July 26, 2026 MORE: India Test squad: Full list of injured players, fitness update
VVS Laxman is not replacing Gautam Gambhir as India coach
While India has been doing well under the guidance of Laxman, and continuing his role as Head of Cricket at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE), there is no sign of him being groomed as the future choice to replace Gambhir.
India toured Zimbabwe for a three-match T20I series in Harare between July 23 and 26, just four days after the conclusion of the England series on July 19.
The next challenge for the Men in Blue comes in the longest format, with Shubman Gill’s side travelling to Sri Lanka for a crucial two-Test as part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle 2025-27 in August.
Speaking to reporters after the series win over the Chevrons, the interim coach said: "Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, and the support staff of the senior team just finished their series in England and they are going to be part of the Test series in Sri Lanka. So th...
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