NEW DELHI: In a strong defense of star batsman Virat Kohli and under-pressure captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that the Indian team is still “incredibly hungry” to perform and will recover in Australia, indicating that he is not particularly concerned about the transition the team would soon have to make.
It won’t be shocking if Kohli, Rohit, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja don’t play together in a home Test match again because India has some older stars in their lineup.
‘I am not facing any heat’: Coach Gautam Gambhir
If Gambhir has a deja vu feeling as he takes the plane to Australia, it’s not his fault. After the 2011 World Cup euphoria, he watched as a team full of seniors fell apart under the leadership of new coach Duncan Fletcher.
Asked if he feels pressure like Fletcher, he replied: “I am not thinking about transition but the five Test matches. Transition or no transition, if that has to happen, will happen but I see some incredibly tough characters in that dressing room who are hungry to do well,” Gambhir said in pre-departure press conference.
“I am not even thinking that the team is in transition and all that kind of stuff. The only thing in my mind is, we are going to Australia to play five Test matches and there are some incredibly tough people in that dressing room who are going to achieve a lot of good things in future as well,” he said.
On November 22, the first Test match versus Australia begins in Perth.
For how long will Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja play? | BTB Highlights
In his usual direct style, Gambhir claimed that the media’s fixation on discussing transition was the reason.
“You guys can keep talking about the transition and all that stuff. For me, they are still very hungry. I am sure they have got a lot of fire to achieve a lot of success for the nation and you should never doubt their passion for the country,” the former India opener said, batting for senior pros Kohli and Sharma.
Gambhir added that it will be crucial for the team to adapt to the circumstances in Australia over the course of the next ten days.
“We have got a lot of experienced players who have been to Australia a lot many times. Their experience will come in handy for the young players as well. These 10 days are going to be very crucial but come 22nd morning, we should be absolutely ready and ready to fire from ball one,” he said.
