Gautam Gambhir explained why he doesn't laugh during matches. Gambhir also reacted to Dhoni's "Coach sahab smile" post.

With Team India's victory in the 2026 T20 World Cup, one thing became clear: Gautam Gambhir's coaching in white-ball cricket has proven beneficial for the Men in Blue. Following Team India's T20 World Cup win, MS Dhoni posted on social media, specifically mentioning Coach Sahib (Gambhir's smile).

Now, Gambhir has spoken about Dhoni's post. He also explained why he doesn't smile during matches. Dhoni wrote in his post, "Coach sir, your smile looks good. The combination of smile and seriousness is fantastic."

What did Gambhir say on Dhoni's post?

Speaking in an interview with ANI, Gautam Gambhir said, "Being a coach is tough. It was good to see that he tweeted. I think when you are in the dugout, there is a lot at stake. There are so many expectations from the Indian team that you might want to laugh... who wouldn't want to laugh? Sometimes you can't laugh, especially when you play a tournament like the World Cup."

Defeat is not an option in India.

Gambhir further said, "Unfortunately, in India, losing is not an option. But losing can happen. If losing wasn't an option, India would have won every World Cup, but that doesn't happen. This is a game. You invest your entire life in something, but there is no guarantee of return. This isn't the stock market where you invest, and you decide how much return you will get. Here, you work hard for a full year and a half, and invest. But there was no guarantee that we would win this World Cup."

Gambhir further said, "Imagine, if we had not won the World Cup or had lost in the semi-finals, then after so much hard work and investment, the returns would have been zero. That is why I say that sports is very different from other professions."