India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir spoke about his team’s constant struggle with spin bowling. Gambhir refused to admit that the Indian batsmen’s skills against spin have deteriorated and claimed that they are working hard in the nets to improve.
Lately, Indian batsmen have been finding it difficult to deal with the spinners on the turning pitches. Recently, New Zealand left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner tore apart India’s batting line-up with 13 wickets in the second Test in Pune.
Santner took the big wicket of Virat Kohli twice in the match and also dismissed Rohit Sharma in the second innings. Santner’s incredible figures helped New Zealand win their first Test series in India.
Gautam Gambhir breaks the silence on India’s ongoing struggle with spin
During a press conference a day before the third Test between India and New Zealand in Mumbai, Gautam Gambhir asked if the Indian batsmen were not good at playing spin.
The Indian coach was quick to refute such claims and instead credited Mitchell Santner for his outstanding performance with the ball. He insisted on working hard at the nets and doing better in the next game.
“I don’t think so (when asked if Indian batsmen’s skills have declined compared to spin). “Sometimes you have to give it to the opposition. Mitchell Santner was excellent in the last game. But yes, we will work hard and get better. The guys are putting a lot of hard yards in the nets,” said Gautam Gambhir.
“At the end of the day when you’re playing international cricket it’s the results that matter, but I don’t think our ability to deal with spin has really gone down. It’s probably just working hard and continuing to get better,” he said.
A complete cricketer can adapt his game: Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir later spoke about the growth of the batsmen and insisted on playing with soft hands rather than hitting the ball into the stands. He admitted that the growth of the T20 format has changed his batting game, as it did a few years ago. He wants his shots to adapt to different formats and pitches accordingly.
“Sometimes you’re so used to muscling the ball that you forget the soft hands that probably happened eight or 10 years ago. A complete cricketer is a cricketer who has successfully played the T20 format and Test cricket. He can adapt his game,” said the former India player.
“Growth isn’t just about hitting the ball in the stands. It’s also about batting sessions on the spin lane where you know you can’t hit in the stands but you know you can spin better,” Gautam Gambhir added. .
The Indian batsmen tried to bat aggressively against some tight New Zealand bowling and ended up running out. Instead of trusting their defense and crushing it, the batsmen tried to attack and paid the price.
The spinners who troubled India earlier
India have been struggling with quality spin for some time now. Before Mitchell Santner, there were few spinners who troubled the batters earlier. During the test series against England earlier this year, Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley troubled the Indians and even won the test match for their team.
Australia’s Nathan Lyon, England’s Moeen Ali and New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel are among the bowlers who have troubled India in the past. The Indian team management will try to find a quick solution to this problem ahead of the high-octane five-match Test series against Australia.
