Gambhir spoke about the aggressive brand of cricket Indian team is playing in Tests.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir defended Rohit Sharma and co.’s aggressive approach despite the loss to New Zealand in the first Test in Bengaluru. India was bowled out for 46 in 1st innings and despite a brilliant comeback in the second do, lost the match by 8 wickets.
The defeat came only days after India played aggressive cricket against Bangladesh in the Kanpur Test, which they were able to finish in the final two days after weather hampered the first three.
Gambhir discussed the loss during the pre-match press conference, saying that in the future, they would have to accept setbacks like the one in Bengaluru. The India coach stated that his team was determined to win the match despite scoring 46 runs in the first innings.
Gambhir stated that India had no intention of playing for a draw in the final two days since they wanted to win. The Indian coach stated that this is the style of cricket that the team intends to play in the future.
"That's why we call cricket, or rather sports in general, a great leveler. If you enjoy days like we had in Kanpur, then you also have to accept days like the one we had in Bengaluru. But the good thing was that even after being bowled out for 46, we were still looking to win the Test match. That was important, and that's the kind of cricket we want to play,” Gambhir stated during the press conference.
"I had said earlier that our first option is always to win, and the second option is a draw. If you look at the second innings as well, there was no intention of just playing for two and a half days. We were thinking about how we could win the game. If you ask me, we were probably 100 runs away from making the match. So, I don't think many teams would think that way after being bowled out for 46 when they still had to bat for more than two and a half days. But that’s the quality of cricket we want to play going forward," Gambhir added.
India will have to make some tough decisions for the Pune Test, with Shubman Gill, Sarfaraz Khan, and KL Rahul competing for a berth in the playing XI. Gambhir stated that selecting a playing XI for India anywhere in the country is a 'headache' because of the potential at their disposal.
"Look, selecting the playing XI for any Test match in India is a headache because of the amount of talent we have, whether it’s in domestic or international cricket. So, it’s not just that it’s challenging here; it’s a good challenge, in fact. When you have good talent coming in and there’s competition for spots, it’s always a good thing. This means Indian cricket has a strong foundation and is at a good level. I don't think the challenge will be any different in Pune compared to other places; it's always difficult everywhere," said Gambhir.
India and New Zealand will square off in the Pune Test on October 24, Thursday.
(PTI inputs)