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BENGALURU : India will look to continue an unprecedented run of test success on home soil when they face an injury-hit New Zealand in the opener of a three-match series beginning on Wednesday.
The sight of a pitch with a fair smattering of grass and premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah putting in hard yards at nets might be the early signs of India sticking to the three pacers theory for the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru from Wednesday. Keeping in mind next month's trip to Australia where pacemen will have to shoulder the bulk of bowling, India have been giving more exposure to their quicks since the recent home series against Bangladesh.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir said on Monday that he will not stop his batters from pursuing a "high risk, high reward" approach in Test cricket even if it means that the side gets bundled out for 100 on some days. India dished out their own version of 'Bazball' while chasing a victory in the recent Kanpur Test against Bangladesh after more than two days were lost to rain. The team defeated the visitors by seven wickets. "Why do we need to hold on to people? If they can play the natural game, if they can get 400-500 runs in a day, why not? We will play it that way -- high risk, high reward, high risk, high failure," Gambhir told reporters ahead of the three-match Test series against New Zealand that starts here on Wednesday.
Australia pacer Mitchell Starc has lauded Gautam Gambhir's tactical acumen, saying the India coach is a fantastic thinker of the game who priortises the team's need and seeks to gain advantage through adjustments in techniques and field placements. As a player, Starc worked with Gambhir, who was Kolkata Knight Riders' team mentor, earlier this year during the Indian Premier League.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir is not too concerned about the recent lukewarm form of Virat Kohli, insisting that the star batter remains as hungry as he was when he made his debut and should not be judged after every match. Kohli has made only one fifty, a 76 against South Africa at Centurion in December 2023, in his last eight innings, and him regaining his touch is crucial for India against New Zealand in a three-Test rubber starting on Wednesday and during the five-match series against Australia next month.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasised the importance of bowlers and the need to end the batter's "obsessed" mindset ahead of the opening Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Wednesday. Over the past decade, a shift has slowly unfolded in the longest format of cricket, where batters spending an excessive amount of time have slowly been replaced by the bowlers' prowess. However, the recent Test match between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur proved to be a reminder that the way red-ball cricket is played has changed.
Sanju Samson made the world stand up and take notice as he registered the second fastest T20I ton for an Indian, in the third and final match of the series against Bangladesh on Saturday. Samson, who is yet to be considered a regular in the Indian team, produced mind-boggling hitting at Hyderabad's Uppal stadium, scoring 47-ball 111 while opening the innings. However, opening in T20Is isn't a role Samson has been playing recently. But, a message from the leadership group helped him prepare for this challenge efficiently.
Team India will look to seal the series as they lock horns with Bangladesh in the second T20I of the three-match series at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. Suryakumar's side has already taken a 1-0 lead in the series after clinching a seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first T20I match in Gwalior. India and Bangladesh have faced each other on 15 occasions in the shortest format of the game so far. India have dominated the visitors as they have managed to emerge victorious 14 times.