AUS vs IND, 5th Test: Gambhir ‘extremely confident’ of drawing series, says ‘team-first’ ideology matters

AUS vs IND, 5th Test: Gambhir ‘extremely confident’ of drawing series, says ‘team-first’ ideology matters

Deep in the basement of the Sydney Cricket Ground, Gautam Gambhir had to deal with the microscopic details of the current team and the macroscopic need of an efficient transition. Speaking to the media ahead of the fifth Test, the Indian coach offered an optimistic note: “If someone had said 40 or 45 days ago that we would be in this situation, and that we can come to Sydney and draw this series, then it’s a good position to be in.”

Drawing level in the series was a theme he repeated later too: “Extremely confident. We have everything in that dressing room that can win a Test here. Not only here, probably go on to do some unbelievable things in the future as well.”

Gambhir has often stressed on putting the team first and he reiterated that idea: “If our batting and bowling hadn’t done well, we wouldn’t have won a Test or be 2-1 down. We could have been in a worse situation. All individuals know which area they have to work on. It’s not like I am talking about (specific) individuals here. Ultimately, you win as a team and lose as a team.”

Asked about whether any conversation happened with regard to the future of two veterans – skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, Gambhir clarified: “We just had one conversation, that was about how we can win the next Test match. We didn’t have any other conversation.”

Having revealed that Akash Deep is ruled out with a back injury, the coach emphasised that Indian cricket is always safe: “Indian cricket will always be in safe hands till the time you have honest people. It is not about phasing out senior players or getting the youngsters in. Ultimately, the only thing that can keep you in that dressing room is performance.”

When asked about his message to players, who tend to follow their natural instincts, Gambhir said: “The ‘team first’ ideology matters. People can play their natural game. But if you need to play in a certain way, you got to do that.”

And when reminded about reports about issues within the squad, the coach retorted: “Those are just reports. That’s not the truth. There are some honest words (in the dressing room). And honesty is very important. Honesty is extremely important if you want to achieve some great things.”