Ravi Shastri has thrown his assist behind Gautam Gambhir, defending the newly-appointed head coach amid mounting criticism after India’s surprising Take a look at sequence loss to New Zealand.
New Zealand pulled off a historic victory by thrashing India by 113 runs within the second Take a look at in Pune, taking an unassailable 2-0 result in win their first-ever Take a look at sequence win on Indian soil.
Ravi Shastri backs Gautam Gambhir, requires endurance after India’s surprising dwelling Take a look at sequence loss to New Zealand
Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has been dealing with the warmth from followers and critics after the staff misplaced the first-ever Take a look at sequence at dwelling since 2012 when England defeated them. Nonetheless, Gambhir has now discovered an sudden supporter in Shastri, the previous Indian head coach.
After the Indian cricket staff’s embarrassing setback, fingers pointed at each Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma for tactical lapses, however Ravi Shastri has a unique tackle the drama. He identified that no head coach is spared immense scrutiny, particularly in a cricket-obsessed nation like India.
Together with his personal previous expertise within the scorching seat, the previous Indian captain empathized with the daunting process Gambhir has on his palms. As quickly as Ravindra Jadeja’s wicket fell within the Pune Take a look at, Ravi Shastri mentioned on-air that “by no means simple being a coach of a staff that has an enormous following.”
Gautam Gambhir will quickly study: Ravi Shastri
The previous Indian coach mentioned that Gambhir has simply taken the job, calling the early stumbles “studying moments.” Ravi Shastri admitted that New Zealand crushed India badly, however it’s nonetheless early days in Gambhir’s profession as a coach, urging individuals to provide him a while to study from his errors.
Ravi Shastri mentioned on JioCinema: “New Zealand have crushed them handsomely in each the Take a look at matches. It’s meals for thought. He (Gambhir) has simply taken over the job. It’s by no means simple being the coach of a staff that has such an enormous following. It’s nonetheless early days in his profession as a coach. However he’ll quickly study.”
Notably, Gautam Gambhir took over from Rahul Dravid in July 2024. Nonetheless, Gambhir’s debut task towards Sri Lanka noticed a profitable T20I clear sweep, however then the staff stumbled within the ODI sequence, dropping 2-0—a sequence loss to Sri Lanka after almost three a long time.
Now, with New Zealand’s triumph added to the combo, the stress is constructing quick on Gambhir, and his Gambhir’s subsequent strikes might be below a fierce microscope. Nicely, India’s Take a look at sequence towards New Zealand received off to a surprising begin in Bengaluru, with the choice to bat first on a cloudy morning backfiring severely.
India struggled towards the Kiwis
The Indian batting lineup was dismantled for a mere 46 runs, their lowest Take a look at whole on dwelling soil. New Zealand capitalized on India’s early errors, posting a commanding first-inning rating of 402, placing the hosts below intense stress within the Bengaluru Take a look at.
In a spirited response, India’s batting order discovered its rhythm within the second innings. Sarfaraz Khan led the cost with a stellar 150, whereas Rishabh Pant got here agonizingly near a century, falling simply brief at 99. Virat Kohli (70) and Rohit Sharma (52) additionally chipped in to elevate India to 462, giving the bowlers a complete to defend.
Nonetheless, with solely 107 runs wanted for New Zealand to win, India’s bowling assault couldn’t ship a breakthrough, and New Zealand comfortably chased down the goal with eight wickets in hand. The second Take a look at in Pune solely deepened India’s woes, exposing a vulnerability towards spin bowling.
Dealing with an enormous goal of 359, Indian batters struggled towards Mitchell Santner’s spin, with the Kiwi star ending with 13 wickets to assist New Zealand script historical past in India. The third and remaining Take a look at might be performed in Mumbai from November 1 on the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.