IND vs OFF: Head coach of Team India, attended the press conference before leaving for India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He spoke on various topics, including his team's 3-0 defeat in a Test series at home to New Zealand.
Gambhir praised the Kiwis and accepted that his team was outplayed in all three departments. Therefore, he doesn't want to defend anything and accepts the criticism.
“The learning is to accept that we have been outplayed. I'm not here to defend myself. We were defeated in all three departments. We accept criticism with both hands,” Gambhir said at the press conference.
India suffered its first home Test series defeat since 2012 and its dominant record in home Test series was broken. The Indian fans were visibly upset and started criticizing the performance of the batters who had failed miserably in the series. Furthermore, this was also the first time since the inception of Test cricket that the team suffered a home Test series.
It was also reported that Gambhir captain Rohit Sharma, chief selector Ajit AgarkarBCCI secretary Jay Shah and president Roger Binny held an emergency closed-door meeting to assess the shocking result at home.
According to reports, India could have two head coaches: one for the white ball team and one for the red ball team in case they lose the upcoming BGT badly. Gambhir could be sacked as red-ball coach and VVS Laxman could replace him.
Gambhir supported KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah for BGT
Gambhir kept dialing Abhimanyu Easwaran and KL Rahul as India's replacement opener, on India's chances in the BGT if Rohit Sharma does not arrive early for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy due to personal reasons.
KL Rahul's versatility can be a big factor for India; As Gambhir said, only a player with great talent can be used in so many positions and hence back him up as an opener or middle-order batter.
Gambhir also confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will be the player to take over the role of India captain if Rohit Sharma is unavailable in the initial matches.
Gautam Gambhir also spoke about India's chances of qualifying for the WTC finals
After their recent defeat in the home series, India would now have to bow out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a strong lead of 4-0 over hosts Australia.
Gambhir said that he and his team are not focused on the WTC final and want to win the upcoming BGT 2024/25.
“We don’t look at the points table. We are absolutely focused on the Border-Gavaskar series and will win it.” Gautam Gambhir mentioned his team's further chances in the WTC final.
India have won the last two Test series in Australia and have retained the BGT since the 2014-15 series in Australia. The series begins on November 22nd, with the first game scheduled to take place in Perth. Rohit Sharma, the current captain who was missing from the current squad that traveled to Australia, could miss the first few games of the BGT.
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