Shashi Tharoor's 'Hardest Job After PM' Praise For India Coach Gautam Gambhir Grabs Attention

Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor met Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of the Men in Blue's first T20I of the five-match series against New Zealand at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur on Wednesday, January 21.

Shashi Tharoor was in Nagpur to address a gathering at the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) and spoke on the topic of 'the Global Zeitgeist'. During his visit to the city, the veteran Congress leader took an opportunity to meet Gautam Gambhir before heading to the VCA Stadium for the T20I series opener against New Zealand, beginning India's preparations for the T20 World Cup 2026.

Tharoor is himself a cricket enthusiast and has often shared his views on the sport on social media players, especially X (formerly Twitter), where he frequently comments on major cricketing developments.

'Man With The Hardest Job in India After the PM's'

Ahead of India's first T20I against New Zealand, Shashi Tharoor lavished praise on Gautam Gambhir, who took over the reins of the national team as a head coach in July 2024, succeeding Rahul Dravid, who finished his tenure after the Men in Blue's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph.

Taking to his X handle, Congress MP shared a selfie of him with Gambhir and described India's head coach as the 'hardest' after the Prime Minister's, while praising former India opener for staying calm and composed despite intense scrutiny, and appreciated his determination and able leadership.

“In Nagpur, enjoyed a good & frank discussion with my old friend @GautamGambhir, the man with the hardest job in India after the PM's!” Shashi Tharoor wrote.

“He is being second-guessed by millions daily but stays calm & walks on undaunted. A word of appreciation for his quiet determination and able leadership. Wishing him all success - starting today! #INDvNZT20,” he added.

In Nagpur, enjoyed a good & frank discussion with my old friend @GautamGambhir, the man with the hardest job in India after the PM's! He is being second-guessed by millions daily but stays calm & walks on undaunted. A word of appreciation for his quiet determination and able... twitter/LOHPygVV0E

- Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 21, 2026

Gautam Gambhir has recently come under immense scrutiny after Team India suffered a home ODI series defeat to New Zealand. For the first time, the Men in Blue lost the ODI series to the Kiwis on home soil, ending their 37-year dominance in bilateral ODI series against New Zealand in India. Gambhir-led management's team selections, strategies, and rotation policies have come under the scanner following the historic series loss at home.

Former India opener's coaching tenure was questioned when Team India suffered a Test series whitewash 2-0 at home in November last year, intensifying scrutiny over his strategies and team management.

Comparing PM's Job to the Head Coach's Role Makes Sense?

Shashi Tharoor's praise for Gautam Gambhir amid criticism and scrutiny over the recent ODI series defeat to New Zealand has caught the attention of the fans and cricket enthusiasts on social media.

Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), fans and cricket enthusiasts reacted with a mix of humour and support, joking about 'hardest job in India after PM's', questioning the comparison between the Prime Minister's role and India's head coach job, appreciating calm and honest leadership despite intense scrutiny.

Hardest job after PM? Facts! In India everyone is a selector, coach & expert on Twitter

- Naveen Agrahari (@NaveenAgrahari) January 21, 2026

"The man with the hardest job in India after the PM's!"And, One can't run the Country;the Other can't run the Cricket team.

- BhaIndiStani (@BhaIndiStani) January 21, 2026

True, people forget his achievements as a player when criticizing his coaching!

- Narender Konreddy (@Narender09_X) January 21, 2026

Great to see such respect for Gautam Gambhir handling India's T20I setup isn't easy, and his calm, determined leadership deserves appreciation. Wishing him success from the start!

- (@sonucnc2) January 21, 2026

Comparing him to the PM is unfair because the coach gets sacked for non performance while the PM gets a new vanity project. The only similarity is that both think they are bigger than the team and the country they are supposed to serve.

- Suren Yadav (@surenrk) January 21, 2026

One of the most judge guy in the India right now

- Pankaj Agrawal (@iampankaj_007) January 21, 2026

“the man with the hardest job in India after the PM's”this line

- Chai Met Toast (@bythewaynikhil) January 21, 2026

He is passionate, honest and has no bullshit kind of coach. Wins & loses part of the game, the goal is are you giving 100%.

- Rajesh Pattanayak (@imrajpattanayak) January 21, 2026

That 2nd hardest job tag used to be assigned for India's cricket captains.. guess who is the main centre now. movieman (@movieman777) January 21, 2026

Pta nahi mujhe yeh tweet mein ek line sarcastic kyu lagi Mujahid Khan (@Mujahid__9) January 21, 2026

Mr @ShashiTharoor Are you roasting @GautamGambhir the man with the hardest job in India after the PM's!#MPatWEF2026 #ORomeo RAHU (@Siddharthy36541) January 21, 2026

Meanwhile, Team India kickstarted their preparations for the T20 World Cup 2026 with a 48-run win over New Zealand in the first T20I series in Nagpur. Abhishek Sharma (84), Rinku Singh (44*), skipper Suryakumar Yadav (32), and Hardik Pandya (25) propelled the hosts to a total of 239/7 before the bowling attack led by Varun Chakravarthy (2/37) and Shivam Dube (2/28) restricted New Zealand to 190/7.

Team India will next play New Zealand in the second ODI at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on Friday, January 23.

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