Follow UsIndia head coach Gautam Gambhir will have a young Test team at his disposal, something that his predecessors didn't have. It would be hard to find a moment in the 21st century when the Indian team had only two players with experience of fifty or more Tests in a squad of 18.
Only KL Rahul (53) and Ravindra Jadeja (80) have played more than 50 Tests and are part of India’s squad for the England tour of 2025.
Thus, it becomes very important for Gambhir to egg on the young guns, led by Shubman Gill, who himself has played only 32 Tests.
In a video shared by BCCI, Gambhir could be seen doing that. He said, “All I want to say is that there are two ways of looking at this tour. One is, we are without our three most experienced players [Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin] or we have this phenomenal opportunity to do something special for the country.
“When I look around in this group, I think of the hunger, the passion, the commitment to do something special. I think if we make sacrifices, if we come out of our comfort zone, if we start fighting, not every day but every session, every hour and every ball, I think we can have a memorable tour,” added the 43-year-old.
Gill, on his part, also motivated the players, saying, “Let’s make each and every net session meaningful and let’s prepare like that. And let’s put ourselves under a little bit of pressure when we are going out there.
“It’s not about going out there and surviving. Let’s try to find out how we are going to play when we are put under pressure. Be it our bowlers or batters. Let’s play every ball with a purpose,” he added.
Image Source: BCCI