India's head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the media on Monday, November 11, ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, tackling pressing questions. Among the biggest topics were the outcome of India vs New Zealand and the form of senior players. (More Cricket News)
Tom Latham-led New Zealand recently made history by becoming the first team to whitewash India on home soil in a three-match Test series.
Following the defeat, questions were raised about the form of senior player Virat Kohli, with Ricky Ponting expressing his concerns.
Ponting highlighted Kohli's recent form, saying, "I came across a stat recently stating that Virat has only scored two (now three) Test centuries in the last five years. That didn’t seem right to me, but if it’s true, then it’s definitely a concern. I can't think of any other top-order batsman at the international level who has only managed two Test centuries in five years."
In response to Ponting's statement, Gambhir fired back, saying, "Not at all," regarding the poor form of Rohit Sharma and Kohli. He also suggested that Ponting should focus on Australian cricket and question what concerns he has about Indian cricket.
He added, “More importantly I have got no concerns whatsoever for Virat and Rohit. I think they are incredibly tough men. They’ve achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot in the future as well."
India suffered a humiliating 0-3 loss at home to New Zealand, with the visitors sealing a historic clean sweep with a 25-run victory at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai November 3.
The shocking defeat also meant that India dropped to second spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings with a winning percentage of 58.33 after 14 games.
How Can India Qualify For The World Test Championship 2023-2025 Final?
India take on Pat Cummins-led Australia in a five-match blockbuster Border Gavaskar Trophy, starting from November 22, in Perth.
Rohit Sharma's men will need to win at least four of the five games to secure a spot in the WTC final without depending on other results.
If India fail to notch up four wins, they will have to depend on other results, especially involving the contenders.
India squad for BGT
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar.
