India vs West Indies: Right after India’s 3-0 whitewash win over Afghanistan, head coach Gautam Gambhir answered the press. The former World Cup winner was asked about the struggles of his team in Test cricket and ODIs.
Barring a horrible tour to the United Kingdom, the Indian national cricket team has enjoyed overwhelming success in the shortest format, winning a T20 World Cup at home under Gambhir as well.
However, the same cannot be said about the other two formats. Addressing the concerns, the Indian head coach said that he can take all the criticism, but the unavailability of top players remains a concern for the Shubman Gill-led side.
Gautam Gambhir Responds to Criticism For Struggles in Tests and ODIs
It is a well-documented fact that the Indian national cricket team has had multiple struggles in Test cricket and ODIs due to the best players being unavailable. While there have been a few instances of players being rested due to workload management, most of the time the players have been injured. Gautam Gambhir, while responding to questions over the recent form of the national team in the two longer formats, gave a blunt reply.
The Indian head coach said, “If I can be completely honest, then yes. In Test cricket and one-day cricket especially, you want your best players to play as much as they can because the next year’s World Cup is in the 50-over format. And more importantly, it’s not fair on a young captain (Gill) as well if he doesn’t get the best team playing consistently and regularly, and not being on the path consistently.”
Gautam Gambhir Throws Support Behind Shubman Gill
In his response to questions over the poor results of the national team in Test cricket and ODIs under the captaincy of Shubman Gill, Gambhir bluntly replied that the unavailability of top players has meant that the captain has not had chances to field their best XI consistently. In the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies, India will be without its vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer and ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah. These two have been named in the Asian Games 2026 squad that coincides with the series. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya who is still recovering from an injury will also be missed by Gill.
Talking about the unavailability of players, Gambhir said, “If I have to be dead honest, yes. As a coach, I can take all the criticism, but for me, I think it is important for Shubman to get the best playing 11 as many times as he can in red-ball and in white-ball formats. Obviously, we know that it’s not ideal when you’re preparing for a World Cup which is in a year’s time. But again, the Asian Games squad was selected long back, and sometimes it’s difficult for the selectors when they have to put the best squad in place.”