Mumbai: Under Gautam Gambhir’s watch, India’s showings in Test cricket have been sluggish. When this was pointed out to the head coach on the eve of the Colombo Test, he jumped in before the question was completed in his usual take-no-prisoners fashion.
“Not at all. We are not struggling that much,” he said.
“Rankings do not matter,” he added. “We are going through transition and I am sure people sitting in the press box and commentary box know that. And despite that, there will be blips, there will be ups and downs. But since the England tour, we have been reasonably consistent in Test cricket. You guys can go by rankings. We know that we are heading in the right direction.”
To those who know, Gambhir has always looked at the twin defeats at home against New Zealand and South Africa differently. The loss to the Kiwis, he believed, was down to a jaded team with several players past their best. For the loss against South Africa, he wants the transitioning side to be judged over time.
In the overall analysis though, India’s World Test Championship (WTC) hopes hang by a thread. Bangladesh’s defeat of Australia has heated up the race to the final. With 53.33% points, India are placed fifth in the table. By Gambhir’s own yardstick of winning trophies, the WTC is the most prestigious. Only a late surge for a title would truly quell the tumult within.
“We don’t talk about it,” Gambhir replied when asked about the tough road to the final. “We try and stay in the present. We try as much to focus on the next five days and on every session. We can only control what we can control. Everything else will take care of itself.”
To stay in contention, India need to repeat the drill they put in motion at Galle. Therein lies an opportunity for Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill to achieve a first – score an overseas Test series win. That would take some pressure off a set up that has been under the pump for the weakening of their citadel, with the two home Test series defeats, in late 2024 and 2025.
“Criticism? My job is to win trophies. Not views and likes. That’s all I believe in. And that is the difference between me and everyone,” said Gambhir.
Comments such as these turn the glare on the head coach more than the team. Usually, the coach adjusts his style towards the team he manages. Here, the Indian team seems to have adapted to Gambhir’s methods.
With Gill still new to the job, the scanner has been on Gambhir’s selection calls, bordering on inconsistency. To his credit, what contributed to the win at Galle were orthodox playing eleven calls. Trusting Prasidh Krishna to build on his recent gains than being swayed by rookie pacer Gurnoor Brar’s attributes. Sticking with Dhruv Jurel over Sarfaraz Khan’s spin-playing prowess. Giving Kuldeep Yadav a go even if that meant playing three left-arm spinners of different styles. After Kuldeep’s lacklustre outing though, the idea of sticking with a winning combination will be tested.
3-Test series advocacy
Gambhir advocated playing three-Test series over two. “I would want a 3-Test series. There should always be a possibility for a team losing the first Test to come back and win the series. In two-Test series, if you lose the first, you can only draw the series,” he said.
“I know the WTC is important. But winning the series is equally important. I remember the series where India were behind against Australia (2020-21) and went on to win the series 2-1. It’s always more exciting.”