IND v ENG 2025: “Want to get 250-260 regularly,” Gambhir happy with India’s "high-risk, high-reward" approach in T20Is
India clinched the series 4-1 while laying out the plan to regularly score 250-plus runs.
The Men in Blue clinched the series 4-1 while laying out the plan to regularly score 250-plus runs in the shortest format of the game.
The last three T20Is showcased the Indian team’s philosophy of playing aggressive cricket, regardless of the circumstances.
During the fourth T20I in Pune, India were reduced to 12/3 in the first two overs but middle-order batters assaulted the English bowlers to rack up 181/9 on the board, which eventually resulted in 15-run victory.
Despite wickets falling from the other end in the series finale on Sunday, Abhishek Sharma took the English bowling attack to the cleaners. His whirlwind knock of 135 in 54 balls, including seven boundaries and 13 sixes, propelled the hosts to a mammoth 247/9 in 20 overs.
"That's the kind of T20 cricket we want to play. We don't want to fear losing a game of cricket. We want to play high-risk, high-reward cricket and these guys have adopted that ideology, that policy really well. And I think the ideology of this T20 team is based on selflessness and fearlessness. And I think in the last six months, these guys have done it day in, day out," Gambhir told the host broadcaster after India’s 150-run victory in the fifth T20I at the Wankhede Stadium.
"We want to try and get to 250-260 regularly. And in trying to do that, there'll be games where we'll get bundled out for 120-130. And that is what T20 cricket is all about. And unless and until you don't play that high-risk cricket, you won't get those big rewards as well. Most importantly, I think we're on the right track. Come those big tournaments, we want to still continue playing this way, and we don't want to fear losing anything," he added.
India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy troubled the English batters right through the T20I series. With a staggering 14 wickets at an average of 9.85 and an economy rate of 7.66, he finished the series as the leading wicket-taker.
"I think his transformation from IPL to international T20 cricket has been phenomenal. And this series was probably the benchmark as well because England is a high-quality side. They've got some really quality cricketers and the kind of surfaces we've played on - I think they were fantastic batting wickets, and the way he's bowled those tough overs has been phenomenal," Gambhir said of Chakravarthy.
The focus will now shift to the ODIs as India will play three matches against England, leading up to the Champions Trophy. The 50-over series will get underway on February 6 in Nagpur.
