Gambhir was done with India's stale approach after Australia debacle, pulled up Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant and…: Report

Hindustan Times

a day ago

How drastically have things changed in six months? Almost the same bunch of Indian batters, who struggled big time in Australia, enjoyed a record-breaking outing in England. From the low of Down Under to the remarkable high in the UK, this Indian team was pretty much unrecognisable throughout the 25 days of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Shubman Gill's 754 runs, Rishabh Pant's 479, KL Rahul's 532 and Ravindra Jadeja's 516. All this looked nothing less than a distant dream when the Indian team, battered and bruised, returned after losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-3. Barring two senior players – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – the squad was more or less the same. Yes, the ball and conditions were different, but playing against the Dukes ball in England is way more challenging than facing the Kookaburra in Australia. Gautam Gambhir knew he had to shake things up, especially with Shubman Gill(AFP)
What changed was the approach, led by none other than Gautam Gambhir. The Indian head coach, who had witnessed the destruction of Indian batting, ensured that the old practices were abandoned and replaced by newer, more productive, trustworthy tactics. A report in The Indian Express claims that Gambhir led this wave of change, which brought out the best in batters, especially the captain and the vice-captain of this team.
Also Read: Indian dressing room turned to Lord Shiva, listened to 16th-century Stuti in Oval Test when mood dipped; result followed
Rishabh Pant enjoyed a career-defining series in Australia during the 2020-21 tour. The two Tests in Sydney and Brisbane quite easily fast-tracked him on the path to greatness that he is on now. Hence, when India reached the Australian shores, hoping to preserve the BGT for at least a couple more years, plenty was expected of him. However, the returns were underwhelming with just 255 runs at an average of 28.33, a huge letdown. Similarly, Shubman Gill felt the heat too. Despite showing promise in Australia, all he managed while batting at No. 3 was 93 runs from three Tests.
How Gautam Gambhir shook things up
Gambhir's message to both was clear: spend more time at the crease. Previously, the common theme for the batters was to 'show intent' and keep moving. But with Gambhir, the idea was to be patient, bide time, and let the runs come to you rather than the other way around. The clear shift in focus yielded fruitful dividends. Both Gill and Pant were keen to play the waiting game. Gill, believed to be a lot more old-school in that regard, jelled into it well. As for Pant, the vice-captain, sensing the need of the hour, too, was willing to adapt. Of course, Pant gets these pangs of rush blood, but when the visuals of him speaking to himself after nearly throwing his wicket went viral, one could understand how seriously he started to cherish his wicket.
The Indian Express also reported that Sitanshu Kotak's addition helped implement calm inside the dressing room. During India's practice sessions, both Gambhir and Kotak would carefully pay attention to all batters, be at their ears, and make them understand the virtue of patience whenever they sensed urgency creeping into the batters' minds.
Jadeja and Rahul, the other two veterans, benefitted equally. Both had shown promise in Australia, but couldn't get the big scores. In England, Rahul endured the grind at the top, seeing off the new ball, whereas Jadeja did the same in the lower middle order. That he almost saw India through at Lord's was one of the best examples of batting with the tail Indian cricket has ever seen. A few things here and there, and India could have achieved what they haven't been able to since 2007.