India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday brushed aside the recent struggles of the Indian batsmen against a quality spin attack and said his batsmen are fully capable of facing any kind of attack in the world.
Gambhir told reporters on the eve of the two-Test series against Bangladesh that the bowling quartet of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja has changed India’s trend of focusing on batting. When asked why Indian batsmen struggled against spinners in the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka last month, especially in ODIs, Gambhir said, “Our batting unit has so much quality that it can face any kind of attack. There is a lot of difference between Tests and ODIs.
Gambhir also praised his bowlers. He said, “India used to give importance to batting at one time but Bumrah, Shami, Ashwin and Jadeja made it a bowler’s game.” Gambhir said, “Bumrah is the best fast bowler in the world right now who can make a difference at any stage of the game.” The Indian coach also praised Rishabh Pant, who returned to Test cricket. Pant will play a Test match for the first time after being injured in a road accident in December 2022.
Gambhir said, “Pant has performed brilliantly as an explosive batsman but his wicketkeeping has been underrated in Indian conditions. His wicketkeeping has been excellent in front of Ashwin and Jadeja.” The former India opener once again dismissed concerns that he would have difficulty adjusting with the senior players in the dressing room.
He said, “A lot of hue and cry has been made about it but there is no truth in it.” There is speculation that Gambhir’s outspoken behaviour may lead to tension between him and the senior players.
