Gambhir defends team India & Gill’s captaincy

India’s coach Gautam Gambhir is supporting his young side even after their record defeat to England at Headingley. The team lost by five wickets, with England chasing down 371 runs successfully. Everybody was quick to criticize the Indian team’s fielding, with seven catches being dropped by them, four of which were dropped by Yashasvi Jaiswal. The lower-order batting did not work in both the innings either.

Gambhir, though, refuses to blame any player or department for the loss. “We lose together and win together,” he said during the post-match press conference. “The best fielders drop catches. The lower-order batting was a bit disappointing. If we had made 600 in the first innings, we could have dominated.” Gambhir stressed that the team will learn from their mistakes and come back stronger in the second Test.

The coach also defended debutant captain Shubman Gill, whose strategy was criticized by experts. “These are difficult situations to captain. It’s like throwing a man into the deep sea, and I’m sure he’s going to emerge as a proper professional,” Gambhir said. He called for patience and understanding for the young skipper, who he is sure will develop into the job.

Gambhir also discussed the bowling attack of the team, which has been under fire for their performance. He thinks that the bowlers require some time to work on themselves and become more experienced. “If we begin examining our bowlers after each Test, then how will we build a bowling attack?” he questioned. The coach asserted that Jasprit Bumrah would only feature in three Tests in the series on grounds of workload management.

With the next Test commencing on July 2 in Birmingham, Team India has precious time to recharge, reflect on their errors, and get better. Having said that, Gambhir is not downhearted about the future of the team, as he asserted, “We take pride in winning each and every game for our country. Young team is not an excuse. We represent 140 crore proud Indians and will try to give our absolute best with no excuses.”