3 key takeaways from Gautam Gambhir's press conference ahead of 1st India vs Bangladesh 2024 Test
Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed a press conference ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh, which begins at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday, September 19. The two-match series is Gambhir's first Test assignment since taking over as India's head coach.
The former India opener's stint began in Sri Lanka on a mixed note. Under new T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, the Men in Blue thumped the Lankans 3-0. However, the hosts made a splendid comeback in the ODI format, clinching the three-match series 2-0. The result marked Sri Lanka's first bilateral ODI series win over India since 1997.
The attention now shifts to the red-ball format as India prepare for the two-match home series against Bangladesh. At a press conference ahead of the first Test in Chennai, Gambhir shared his thoughts on some relevant issues. Here are three key takeaways from his presser on Wednesday.
#1 KL Rahul, Rishant Pant all but confirmed in playing XI
Without saying it with certainty, Gambhir gave enough hints to indicate that KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will feature in the starting XI ahead of Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel. Both Rahul and Pant are returning from injuries. The former last played a Test in January 2024, while the latter has been out of action in the red-ball format since December 2022 due to his car accident.
In the absence of the senior players, Safaraz and Jurel grabbed their opportunities and made an impressive Test debut against England. Sarfaraz scored three half-centuries in five innings, while Jurel was the Player of the Match for his 90 and 39* in Ranchi.
While praising the duo, Gambhir said that India will look to put their best playing XI on the park every time. He said: (as quoted by Cricbuzz):
"I feel that Jurel is a quality player. He's done phenomenally well in the last season. What he played against England... played some really crucial knocks under pressure. But again, when Rishabh is coming in, obviously he's done really well. Most of the conditions. So sometimes people will have to wait."
"And someone like Sarfaraz, yes, he's also done really well. But sometimes you just have to wait for the opportunity and keep working hard, keep doing the right things... Because only 11 can play, fortunately or unfortunately. But more importantly, I think we'll try and get the best playing 11 on the park every single time," Gambhir went on to add.
Rahul scored 86 and 22 in the Hyderabad Test against England in January 2024 before getting injured. Pant top-scored with 93 in India's first innings in Mirpur in December 2022, a few days before his horrific car accident.
#2 Spin bowling all-rounders a luxury for India, feels Gautam Gambhir
At the press conference, Gambhir opined that India must stop being obsessed with pace bowling all-rounders and talked about not producing another player like Kapil Dev. He pointed out that India are gifted with several spin-bowling all-rounders, a luxury, not many Test-playing nations can afford. The former India opener said:
"We have to manage people like [Ravindra] Jadeja, people like Axar [Patel], [Ravichandran] Ashwin, who's got five Test hundreds. Washi [Washington Sundar] is there as well. So we've got quality all-rounders. So when we keep talking about seam bowling all-rounder, let's not get obsessed with that as well. Tell me how many international sides have a spin bowling all-rounder?... India's got that luxury."
India are likely to go in with Jadeja and Ashwin as the two spin-bowling all-rounders in the playing XI for the first Test against Bangladesh. Axar could be benched in favor of left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
#3 Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah remains a huge factor even in Indian conditions
Indian pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah has played only eight of his 36 Test matches in home conditions - six against England and two against Sri Lanka. But he has a fantastic record even in the limited opportunities in Test matches at home. In eight games, he has claimed 33 scalps at an average of 16.36, with two five-fers.
While spinners are expected to dominate while bowling in Indian conditions, Gambhir feels that the Bumrah factor would remain extremely crucial in the Tests against Bangladesh too.
Sharing his thoughts on the fast-bowling genius, the Team India head coach asserted:
"Bumrah is the best fast bowler in the world in all the three formats... The best part is that he wants to play as much Test cricket as he can. So I feel that yes, it is actually not even a luxury. I think it's really an honor that we've got someone like Bumrah playing for us and sitting in that dressing room. We can make a change; we can make a difference at any stage of the game."
In 36 Test matches, Bumrah has claimed 159 wickets at a superb average of 20.69, with 10 five-fers. He picked up 19 scalps in eight innings at an average of 16.89 against England earlier this year.