India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has expressed confidence in Virat Kohli despite his recent performances, emphasising that the star batter is as committed as ever. Kohli, who has recorded only one half-century in his last eight innings, aims to improve his form in the upcoming Test series against New Zealand and the subsequent series against Australia.
Gambhir highlighted Kohli’s enduring passion for the game.”See, my thoughts about Virat have always been very clear that he is a world-class cricketer. He has performed for such a long period of time. He is as hungry as when he made his debut. To now, his hunger is always there,” Gambhir said on Monday.
Gautam Gambhir commented on Virat Kohli’s performance, noting his ability to score consistently once he starts getting runs. He expressed optimism that Kohli will regain his form soon. Gambhir remarked, “That hunger is what makes him a world-class cricketer. I am sure that he will be hungry to get runs in this series and probably moving forward to Australia as well.”
He emphasized the importance of team results and supporting players throughout the season. “Everyone doesn’t have the best days every day. I think the kind of vibe we have is we keep backing our players. My job is to keep backing the players. My job is to keep selecting the best playing 11, not dropping anyone,” Gambhir said.
Gambhir also stressed that players should not be judged on a game-by-game basis. “You don’t keep judging people after every game. If you keep judging people after every game, that’s not fair on them. It’s a sport and people are bound to fail.”
India is set to play eight more Test matches in the near future. Gambhir believes this period is crucial for the team’s performance. “I’m sure everyone is hungry and they know there are eight Test matches in a row. So, this is probably the start of them looking at eight Test matches in a row and performing well,” he added.
India’s squad for the three Tests against New Zealand: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.
Travelling reserves: Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mayank Yadav and Prasidh Krishna.
New Zealand squad: Tom Latham (C), Tom Blundell (WK), Michael Bracewell (1st Test only), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi (2nd and 3rd Test only), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young.