India Needs to Sharpen Defensive Skills on Turning Tracks, Admits Head Coach Gambhir
India’s recent series defeat at home against New Zealand has raised concerns about the team’s ability to play the turning ball on challenging pitches. While head coach Gautam Gambhir acknowledged the opposition’s quality, he highlighted the need for the Indian batters to improve their defensive skills, particularly in the face of widespread T20 cricket.
“Sometimes you’ve got to give it to the opposition as well,” Gambhir said, referring to Mitchell Santner’s impressive performance in the last match. “But yes, we’ll keep working hard. We’ll keep getting better. That’s about it. Guys are putting a lot of hard yards in the nets.”
The inability to withstand long periods of play has been a significant factor in India’s collapses throughout the series. Gambhir emphasized the importance of playing sessions, stating, “If we can start to learn how to play sessions, and the kind of quality we have in our batting line-up, I think if we end up playing four to four-and-a-half sessions, we’ll have a lot of runs on the board.”
The head coach attributed the challenge to the impact of the T20 format, where batters are often encouraged to “muscle the ball” rather than focus on defensive techniques. “We need to defend better,” Gambhir said. “I think that is something which is important. And especially on a turning track. Because if you’ve got confidence on your defence, a lot of things can be sorted.”
Gambhir acknowledged the need for a “complete cricketer” who can adapt their game to both the T20 format and the demands of Test cricket. “Growth is not only going about hitting the ball in the stands. It’s also about batting sessions on a turning track, where you know that you will not be able to hit in the stands, but you will be able to rotate better.”
The upcoming Mumbai Test is likely to feature conditions that favor the spinners, and Gambhir believes that if the Indian batters can defend better and bat sessions, the team’s bowling attack can capitalize and take 20 wickets.
The head coach emphasized that the process of developing defensive skills is continuous and requires a collaborative effort between the coaches and the players. “It is not the overnight thing that we’re going to talk about it today and people will start getting better tomorrow. But it’s a continuous process. We need to keep working on it. We need to keep telling people the importance of defense.”
As the team looks ahead, Gambhir admitted that they may need to identify players more suited to Test cricket, as the ability to grind out long innings becomes crucial for success in the format.
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