Former Team India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has expressed hopes on national team opener, Mayank Agarwal, on the eve of India's first Test match against New Zealand at Wellington.
"In cricket, I have often noticed that whenever we go down, we start blaming someone from our team," Gambhir wrote for TOI in his column on Thursday (February 20).
"More often than not, we start questioning our processes and change things which are not meant to be."
"The same Indian team that beat the hosts 5-0 in the T20I series was being criticized. Why can’t we just appreciate the opposition and look to up our game in future contests?" he added.
After a five-match T20I and a three-match ODI series, the Men In Blue are set to take on the BlackCaps in a two-match Test series from this weekend.
The Indian players produced a flawless performance in the T20I but failed to win any of the matches during the ODIs as New Zealand registered an impressive whitewash.
"I have a lot of faith in Mayank Agarwal. He may not be the most gifted going around but he is certainly the most organized," Gautam wrote.
"He will not treat bowlers with disdain like Virender Sehwag or a David Warner did but has the clarity of mind of an opening batsman," he added.
India and New Zealand will lock horns again in a two-match Test series next, scheduled to start from February 21.
Speaking on topic of India's new opening batting duo in the absence of Rohit Sharma, the former cricketer said he is looking forward to how Shaw and Gill reacted to the Wellington conditions.
"We will have a new pair opening the batting for India. It will interesting to see how Prithvi Shaw or Shubhman Gill react to opportunities as and when they get," Gambhir claimed.
"Getting into the Test series, I don’t expect overnight changes in the way the outside world reacts to reversals but I am glad that Virat Kohli’s team looks pretty much protected from these assessments," he added.
