Gautam Gambhir says won't hold back players from pushing limits
India head coach Gautam Gambhir said Monday that he will not stop his batters from pursuing a "high risk, high reward" approach in Test cricket even if it means that the side gets bundled out for 100 on some days.
India dished out their own version of 'Bazball' while chasing a victory in the recent Kanpur Test against Bangladesh after more than two days were lost to rain. The team defeated the visitors by seven wickets.
"Why do we need to hold on to people? If they can play the natural game, if they can get 400-500 runs in a day, why not? We will play it that way -- high risk, high reward, high risk, high failure," Gambhir told reporters ahead of the three-match Test series against New Zealand that starts in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
"There will be days when we'll get bundled out for 100 and we'll take it up then. But we'll continue to back our players to go out there and play high risk cricket. That's how we want to keep the game going forward and get the results in whatever situation we are in," he added.
However, Gambhir quickly dispelled the notion of playing the game with blinkers, saying "adaptability" will also remain important for his side.
"I had said in Chennai that we want to be a team that can make 400 runs in a day and bat for two days to draw. That's called growth.
"That's called adaptability and that's called Test cricket. If you play the same way, then it's not growth," he explained.
Gambhir was confident in his wards' ability to tame any situation without sacrificing the team's motto of pushing the limits.
"We have a lot of individuals in the dressing room who can bat for two days. So, ultimately, the first motive is to win the match. If we're in a situation where we have to play for a draw, then that's the second or the third option.
"We don't want to play any other type of cricket. We want people to go out there and play the natural game," he detailed.
'NZ can hurt us'
While admitting that the Kiwis have the ability to "hurt" the hosts, Gambhir said his side will play "hard cricket" to fetch the desired results.
"New Zealand is a completely different challenge. We know that they're a very, very good team and they've got some really high-quality players. They've got players who can hurt us. They keep fighting. So, three Test matches are going to be a huge challenge."
"So, we respect them, but we don't fear anyone. We want to be selfless. We want to be humble. We want to try and play the game as hard as possible on the cricket field."
"Whether it is New Zealand or Australia, we will try to win every match for our country," he added.
Several high-profile matches are on India's schedule, including the five-Test series against Australia next month, but Gambhir was focused on the immediate challenge against New Zealand.
"The first thing is that the World Test Championship is in June (2025). The second thing is that the Test match in Australia is on 22nd November. Right now, only New Zealand is on our mind."
"When you play international cricket, you don't think about how to prepare for the five Test matches in Australia, as right now, the most important thing is how to be ready on 16th November at 9.30 am. That is more important because you don't see ahead that far," he noted.
