Gautam Gambhir: India lost 0-3 in the Test series against New Zealand. With this defeat, it has become a big challenge for the Indian team to reach the final of the World Test Championship. Now before leaving for Australia tour, Indian team head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the press conference. In which many serious questions were asked.
There is no confirmation yet regarding Rohit Sharma
Will Rohit Sharma play in the first test match or not? Gambhir said, 'There is no confirmation yet about Rohit Sharma. Hopefully it will be available at the time of the match. You will know everything before the series starts. If Rohit Sharma is not available then we have opening options like KL Rahul and Abhimanyu Easwaran. I can't tell you about the playing-11, we will take the field with the best combination. Bumrah is the vice-captain. He will be the captain of the team in Rohit's absence.
Gambhir said a big thing about KL Rahul. Gambhir said, 'KL Rahul can open. He can also bat at number 3 or number 6. This is a good thing, because many players do not offer such options.
Harshit Rana and Nitish Reddy
Regarding giving place to Harshit Rana and Nitish in the team, Gambhir said, 'He (Harshit Rana) played against Assam in Ranji Trophy. He performed very well. We felt he had enough bowling experience. We have selected an excellent team. Now we have to move forward. Nitish Reddy will work for us if needed. We all know what a talented player he (Nitish Reddy) is. If he is given a chance, he will definitely perform well for the team. This is the best group of players. Whom we have chosen to play for the country.
No worries about Kohli
Gautam Gambhir says, 'There is no need to worry about the form of Rohit and Virat Kohli. He has performed incredibly well in the past. He has achieved a lot for Indian cricket. And this will continue to happen in future also.
we deserve criticism
Regarding India's defeat against New Zealand, Gautam Gambhir said, 'I will not defend myself here. We deserve the criticism we are getting at this time. Right now I am only thinking about the Test series against Australia. At this time my focus should be on the Test series. We have very experienced players. Who have played in this position. We have ten days to prepare before the first test.
Young players are our future
Gambhir further said, 'We are not thinking about the WTC final right now. Every series is important for us, no matter what has happened in the past. Two good teams are playing against each other. We have two days of practice against Cricket Australia XI. We have enough time to prepare. When we included Washington in the team. Then you all criticize us. When a young player comes in, whether it's Jurel or Washington, he is our future.
beat ricky ponting
Ricky Ponting gave a statement on Virat Kohli's form. Gambhir said, “What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket?” They should think about Australian cricket. Rohit and Virat are strong players.
we have strong players
After the defeat against New Zealand, Gautam Gambhir had to face criticism and trolls on social media. Gambhir said about this, 'What difference does social media make? I am not stressed, there are strong players in the dressing room. It is an honor for me to train him.