‘I Am Not Going to Sugarcoat’: Gautam Gambhir Doesn’t Mince Words Ahead of 3rd Test vs New Zealand

Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir has finally opened up on the Test series loss to New Zealand. Ahead of the 3rd Test match in Mumbai, Gambhir gave his honest opinion on Team India's first series defeat at home in 12 years. Gambhir said that the loss is hurting the team but added that it will help the youngsters learn.

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Gautam Gambhir on Team India's Test series loss

"I am not going to sugarcoat that it is hurting. It should hurt and that will make us better. What is wrong in being in this position? "I am sure this will push the youngsters to be better cricketers. If we have results like Kanpur, might as well have results like this and keep moving forward," said Gambhir.

He said the batters should be able to adapt to the situations of the game and perform accordingly.

"Test cricket should be played like Test cricket. If we have to get 400 runs inside a day’s play we should be able to get it. For me it is about playing the sessions as well. If we play 4.5 sessions we will have a lot of runs on board.

"A complete cricketer is one who can adapt successfully. Not just being able to hit the stands but also rotate strike successfully," he said.

Talking about the defensive technique of batters being impacted by T20 cricket, Gambhir said, "The more the T20 cricket is played (around the world), the more the people will struggle in defending.

"But the most successful players irrespective of the formats always had strong defence. We need to keep telling people the importance of defence and we are working hard on it and we will see results in future." Asked about the Wankhede Stadium pitch around which there has been a lot of speculation, he said, 

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"It is just a good wicket. Very difficult for anyone to judge before both teams have batted on it." On his journey at the helm of affairs so far, Gambhir said, "I never expected a very easy run for me. I know that we lost in Sri Lanka and against NZ and it is not a good place to be. All we can do is keep working hard and we will try winning every game that we play to represent the country." He stressed on the need for some empathy while dealing with players under pressure.

"I realise its a complete different thing when you were playing and now as a coach, need to put your arm around the players." 

(With PTI inputs)