"Gone Are The Days...": Gautam Gambhir Points Out Key Reason Behind Home Series Loss To New Zealand

31.10.2024 - 10:43 sports.ndtv.com

India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday pointed out reasons for recent trend of teams losing at home in Tests and said that it is because of the pressure of the World Test Championship (WTC) points.

India will be looking to saving their pride as they take on Kiwis in the third Test at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. With the hosts being 0-2 down in the three-match series and having endured their first series loss in Tests at home in 12 years, they will be aiming to play out of their skins in order to avoid an embarassing whitewash.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Gambhir said that every match is important for him. He added that teams are losing at home Tests because of the pressure of T20 cricket. "For me, WTC points are very important.

Every Test match is important. There are no dead rubbers anymore. It has lot to do with T20 cricket. Gone are the days of draws because the quality of batters and hitting has went up.

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Indian cricket team fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will not play in the third Test match against New Zealand in Mumbai starting Friday, according to a report by Indian Express. India are already trailing 0-2 in the three-match Test series and the report stated that the team management are looking to 'rest' Bumrah for the upcoming Australia tour. Indian cricketers are expected to fly to Australia on November 10 for the five-match series and Bumrah will be joining the team at that point. According to the report, he has already flown back home to Ahmedabad. In the absence of Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj is expected to play.

"Not Going To Sugarcoat...": Gautam Gambhir's 'Hurting' Message Ahead Of 3rd Test vs New Zealand

India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Thursday doesn't want to blame the batters only for the debacle against the visiting New Zealand side, saying that every player has the responsibility towards the team. India crashed to their first Test series defeat at home in 12 years after losing the second Test by 113 runs in Pune on October 26. The hosts had lost the first Test by eight wickets in Bengaluru. In three of the four innings, the team totals were 46, 156 and 245 with batters struggling against both swing and spin. "Everyone has the responsibility, I cannot say just the batters have let us down," Gambhir said at the press conference ahead of the third Test from Friday.

'State Of Urgency' In Rohit Sharma And Co's Training As They Look To Avoid Clean Sweep By New Zealand

Unexpectedly fallen behind 0-2 in a home series, the Indian team has adopted some desperate measures to improve its batters' outing against spot-on New Zealand bowlers, especially the spinners, as talks about a rank-turner for the third Test here has dominated the pre-match talks. The net session at the Wankhede Stadium reflected the state of urgency the team management is in ahead of the final Test beginning on Friday, as even veteran batters like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have found the going tough in this rubber.

Nitish Reddy, Called Up For Australia Tests, Reveals Gautam Gambhir's Game-Changing Tip

Fast-bowling all-rounders are rare in cricket. India haven't had many quality batters who can also bowl pace of late, with Hardik Pandya arguably being the finest option at present. But, Hardik's India career is limited to only white-ball cricket at present. Hence, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) picked Nitish Kumar Reddy for the forthcoming Australia tour. Nitish has already impressed many with his batting in the T20I series against Bangladesh. As his stocks rise in international cricket, Reddy revealed a big tip from coach Gautam Gambhir that helped him excel.

Kane Williamson To Miss 3rd Test Against India; To Be Fit For Home Series Against England

New Zealand batter Kane Williamson will not be travelling to Mumbai for the third and final Test against India as he continues to recover from his groin injury and ensure full fitness for the upcoming home Test series against England. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) issued a fitness update on Williamson, saying, "Kane Williamson will not travel to India for the third Test in Mumbai to ensure he is fit for the upcoming three-Test series against England." "A cautious approach will instead be taken which will see Williamson continue his groin injury rehabilitation in New Zealand ahead of the first England Test starting at Hagley Oval on November 28." he added.

Gautam Gambhir To Not Travel With Team India For South Africa T20Is. Interim Head Coach Is...

VVS Laxman will be the head coach of the Indian cricket team for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa, according to a report by Cricbuzz. The former India batter was appointed the interim head coach as Gautam Gambhir will be travelling to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. India will take on South Africa in four T20Is which will be played in Durban, Gqeberha, Centurion and Johannesburg on November 8, 10, 13 and 15 respectively. While the team for South Africa will depart around November 3, the team for Australia is expected to leave by November 10-11.