Gautam Gambhir was candid in his assessment of the Indian batting unit's struggles against spin bowling during a pre-match press conference leading up to the third Test against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
He attributed the decline to the influence of T20 cricket and highlighted Virat Kohli as an example of a player who excels in all formats by mastering defensive techniques. Gambhir emphasized the importance of players enhancing their skills against spin bowling to succeed in Test cricket. The Indian head coach also expressed concern that as T20 cricket continues to gain popularity, teams worldwide may encounter similar challenges.
"To be a successful Test cricketer, you see people like Virat, you see all the great players who've done really well in Test cricket for a long period of time, they've always had good defence. The foundation of your batting in Test cricket has to be defence. And then you start taking up from there."
"Probably has a lot to do with playing on flat wickets in T20," he elaborated on the decline in quality defensive play in Test cricket.
"We need to keep tightening our game. but you will see probably going forward in future, we'll have the same issues with a lot of other teams as well. Because the more the T20 cricket is played, the lesser people will start defending," said Gambhir.
Gambhir suggested that moving forward, the team will need to recruit players who specialize in red-ball cricket. He emphasized the importance of having players who can bat for four or five sessions.
"See, at the moment it's difficult to answer this question "But going forward, obviously, we will have to identify players who are solid red ball cricketers. Because ultimately, to get the results, you will have to work really hard for 3 or 4 days or 5 days to be honest. So sometimes, as I just mentioned, it's important if we can bat sessions, we know that we've got the bowling attack to take 20 wickets. At the moment, it's difficult to answer," Gambhir added.
The Indian head coach expressed optimism that players can enhance their defensive skills, but emphasized that the responsibility lies with the players to take the initiative. He highlighted the team's dedication to improving in this area and assured that positive results are on the horizon.
"To a certain extent, yes you can. To a certain extent, it has to come from the individual as well. That how much value does he end up giving it in defending the ball? That is something which is very important. And especially on a turning track. Because I've always believed that the best players and the most successful players in this format, or be it any format, always had solid defense.
"So that is something which we keep talking about. And it is not the overnight thing that we're going to talk about it today and people will start getting better tomorrow. But it's a continuous process. We need to keep working on it. We need to keep telling people the importance of defense. And all that stuff. So I feel that I think guys are really working hard on it. And you'll see the results in the future as well. And that is something which is very, very important, especially in red-ball cricket," Gambhir said.
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