PRESS CONFERENCE
Follow UsGautam Gambhir took over as the head coach of the Indian cricket team in July 2024, and since then the ride has been anything but honky-dory. India lost the ODI series in Sri Lanka in August and now have lost a home Test series after a gap of 12 long years. While losses would’ve been easy to digest for the Indian fans had the team put up some fight, it has been a case of difficult negotiation against spin bowling.
Now, with India's World Test Championship final prospects shaky, and with them having to play to salvage pride and important points in Mumbai, Gautam Gambhir fronted up to the media to admit how much the loss hurt him.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat this. Obviously, it’s hurting. And it’s good that it’s hurting because it should hurt. Every time you lose a game, be it at home or be it away from home, it should hurt. That hurt will make us better. Sometimes people say that it should not hurt. But it should hurt,” Gambhir said in the pre-match press conference in Mumbai.
“When you’re playing for your country, what’s wrong in being in that position? The more, especially for the youngsters, it’s hurting them, I’m sure they’re going to push themselves to keep getting better. Because that is exactly what we want them to be.
“Pushing themselves every day to be a better cricketer. And to do something special. Because if we have results like what we had in Kanpur, then we might as well have results like this. And take that hurt and keep moving forward.”
With the Mumbai surface expected to assist spinners largely, India batters put in two days of extreme practice, which Gambhir believed was crucial to their plans.
“Sometimes you have to give it to the opposition as well. I think Mitchell Santner was outstanding in the last game. But yes, we’ll keep working hard, we’ll keep getting better. That’s about it. Guys are putting a lot of hard yards in the nets. Yes, ultimately, it’s the results that matter when you’re playing international cricket. But I don’t think that our skill against spin has actually gone down.
“I think it looks a really good wicket. Obviously, it’s very difficult for anyone to judge how the wicket is going to behave unless the game starts on it and both the teams have batted on it. But I feel that it looks like a decent wicket. And I’m sure that once the guys get in, they can actually make the most of it.”
Losing the first two Tests have really hampered India’s chances for the WTC finale - and now they’re up against a mighty wall of cracking Border-Gavaskar Trophy once again to somehow make it to the Lord’s showdown. Gambhir suggested that India just focus on winning the next Test match against New Zealand and keep the qualification hopes alive.
“Simple, try and win. I think as simple as it can get. More importantly, we should try and win this Test match so that we can go to Australia with a win under our belt. And more importantly, it’s another great opportunity for people to do something special for the country. I think we very well know that we represent 140 crore Indians. So, it’s another opportunity because very few people get this opportunity and honour to represent the country in Test cricket.”
Talking about his stint so far, Gambhir suggested that he never expected an easy run as a coach of the Indian team, but added that he would continue to push for win in every single game.
“I’ll be honest, I never expected a very easy run, because international cricket is never easy,” he said. “And I believe that. I know that we lost in Sri Lanka, we’ve lost at home as well against New Zealand. It’s not a great place to be in. But all we can do is be absolutely honest to ourselves, keep working hard, keep working hard with the group and keep preparing them well and keep getting the results. Because ultimately, I think we want to try and win every game that we represent the country in.”
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