Gautam Gambhir emphasized that bowlers are the ones who ultimately win series in overseas conditions.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir on Sunday (November 1) emphasized that while India have vast experience in the batting department, bowlers are the ones who ultimately win series in overseas conditions, particularly in Test and ODI formats.
Addressing the media following the conclusion of the T20I series against New Zealand, Gambhir urged the fans and media to avoid "talking too much about the batters" and instead ensure the young bowlers receive the lion's share of the praise if the team triumphs in the upcoming matches on the Kiwi tour.
With frontline pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah rested for the ODI leg and ace all-rounder Hardik Pandya unavailable due to injury, the fast-bowling unit relies heavily on Mohammed Siraj (51 ODIs) and Arshdeep Singh (18 ODIs), alongside highly raw prospects like Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj, and Gurnoor Brar, who have barely a handful of international caps among them.
“And it is challenging because if you look at it, this is probably ODI cricket’s most inexperienced bowling attack," Gambhir told reporters after the fifth and final T20I in Hamilton.
“In batting, we have plenty of experience, but when you come overseas, it is your bowlers who win you series, especially in One-Day and Test cricket. So if we do well in One-Day cricket going forward, a lot of credit should be given to these bowlers rather than talking too much about the batters," he added.
India clinched a 3-2 T20I series victory on New Zealand soil. The Men in Blue displayed clinical form to establish an unassailable lead across the initial three matches before dropping the final two games in Auckland and Hamilton.
Gambhir highly praised T20I captain Shreyas Iyer in the press conference, highlighting that India travelled to New Zealand without frontline bowling stars and the latter had to defend targets and restrict the Black Caps using a highly inexperienced attack.
“Shreyas has done a fabulous job with so much inexperience in the bowling lineup because, as a captain, you’re only as good as how your bowlers or your batters perform, especially with an inexperienced attack. I think he’s done a phenomenal job,” Gambhir remarked.
India’s remainder of the New Zealand tour includes five ODIs and two Test matches. While the ODI series is slated to get underway on November 4 in Auckland, the Test series will commence on November 19 in Wellington.