The Indian cricket team is gearing up for a five-match Test series in England, set to kick off on June 20. As they prepare to depart for England today, head coach Gautam Gambhir and new Test captain Shubman Gill addressed the media.
Gambhir emphasized the importance of taking 20 wickets to win a Test match. “Scoring a thousand runs doesn’t guarantee a win,” he said. “You need to take 20 wickets to win a Test match.”
When asked about their strategy in England, Gambhir said they would play their best eleven players, including spin or pace bowling all-rounders. “Test matches can only be won by taking 20 wickets,” he reiterated.
The topic of Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management came up, with Gill stating that they have around 10 bowlers for the series. “Having Bumrah in the team is always a good thing, but we have other bowlers who can fill in for him,” Gill said.
Gambhir added that they haven’t decided which Test matches Bumrah will play in, and that it will depend on the outcome of the matches.
In other news, Gambhir criticized the grand celebration of the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL title win. He expressed his disapproval of road shows, citing his own experience after winning the 2007 T20 World Cup. “We need to be responsible citizens in every aspect, whether it’s a franchise or not,” Gambhir said.
Regarding the team’s selection process, Gambhir mentioned that they won’t judge a player based on just one or two matches. “We can’t lose 11 players,” he said.
The team will play an intra-squad match and have a 10-day camp before deciding on their batting combination. “We haven’t decided on anything yet,” Gambhir said. “We’ll figure it out after the camp.”