Gautam Gambhir, India's head coach, has stated that this ongoing period for the Indian team belongs to our bowlers. He also stressed that the time has come for the nation’s obsession with being a batting-favored team to end.

“This is the age of the bowlers. Batters only set up the matches. It’s very important for our batsman-obsessed attitude to end. If the batters make 1000 runs, there’s still no guarantee that the team will win a Test match but if bowlers take 20 wickets, there’s a 99% guarantee that we’ll win the match. Be it Test matches or any other formats, bowlers win you tournaments. So I hope this era or the upcoming ones, we’ll talk more about bowlers than batters. And I hope the mindset changes over time,” Gambhir said in a press conference before India’s 1st Test against New Zealand, scheduled to take place in Bengaluru on October 16.

Gambhir has already pushed for the significance of bowlers, praising his bowling unit before the Bangladesh Tests in September.

This notion was reinforced earlier this week when Bumrah was officially selected vice-captain for the three-match Test series against New Zealand. The move indicates that Bumrah will take over as captain if Rohit Sharma misses any of the upcoming Tests.

“India is a batting-obsessed nation. But Bumrah, Ashwin, and Jadeja are changing that. Bumrah is smart in Test cricket. It is good these guys are changing the trend Bumrah is the best fast bowler in the world now who can make a difference at any stage of the game,” he had said.

Bumrah is expected to step in as captain in Rohit’s absence, as he has already led India in one Test against England in 2022.

(ANI inputs)