Gautam Gambhir Press Conference Updates, Border-Gavaskar Trophy: India Head Coach’s conversation with media ahead of IND vs AUS series

- conditions are the biggest challenge in Australia

- team will be in good shape after ten days of preparation

- no confirmation on Rohit’s availability for Perth

- Gambhir accepts criticism after NZ series. Says team was outplayed in all three departments

- Rahul can bat as opener, number 3 or number 6. Gambhir confident about him doing a job if Rohit is unavailable

- Gambhir says the dressing room has a lot of hunger especially after the result of the previous series

- confidence in Nitish to play the role of all-rounder if the team needs

“Honestly, I am not even thinking the team is in transition. There are some incredibly tough people in the dressing room who will achieve big things in the future. Transition or no transition those things will continue to happen in Indian cricket.”

Gautam Gambhir confirms that Jasprit Bumrah is the designated vice captain and he will captain at Perth if Rohit is unavailable. 

“The only conversation I have had with the players is to ask them to keep the team ahead of any personal milestones. And that is how team sport is meant to be played. The smallest of things will make a huge difference. When you start thinking about the team, other things will take the backseat. That is something we will continue to speak to the players about. We want to be seen as absolutely selfless and more importantly absolutely positive.” 

“You guys were criticising when we picked him,” Gambhir says with a smirk. “It’s good for Indian cricket that the next generation of players are stepping up.”

“We have got quality. We have got guys who can hit the deck (Prasidh and Harshit). All five guys have different skill sets. That makes our fast bowling attack very very potent.”

“We don’t control the wickets they give. We have all the basis covered. Whatever they give, bouncy tracks, turning tracks and green wickets. We still have to go out there and play to our potential. If we do so we can defeat anyone on any wicket.”

“I got no concerns whatsoever for Rohit and Virat. I think they are incredibly tough men and they have achieved a lot for Indian cricket and will continue to do so. My role is to ensure that they’re hunger is still there and they continue to work really hard.”

“It is the quality of the man that allows him to play in some many positions. How many people can bat at openers, number 3 or number 6. You need quite a lot of talent to play these roles.”

Gambhir says Easwaran, Shubman and Rahul are in consideration to open in Australia. 

Gambhir says the team is moving beyond Shardul Thakur. “Nitish Reddy, we all know how incredibly talented he is. If given a chance he will do well for the team. This is the best set of players we have selected to do the job for the country,”

“The learning is to accept that we were outplayed. I’m not here to defend myself. We were outplayed in all three departments. We accept the criticism with both hands.”

“We have a lot of experienced players who have played in these conditions. Those inputs will be crucial for the young players. We have ten days of preparation ahead of the first Test.”

“The bowling coach and the physio felt he had played enough. It is important for a pacer to get some rest as well,” Gambhir says about Harshit Rana joining the Indian team during the New Zealand tour rather than playing in the Ranji Trophy. 

Gambhir mentions Easwaran as a possible candidate to replace Rohit if he is unavailable for the first Test. He says a decision will be made closer to the first test.

“We have no confirmation as of now. We will let you know when we get more details, Hopefully he will be available,” says Gambhir about Rohit’s availability for Perth.

1st Test - November 22-26 - Perth

2nd Test - December 6-10 - Adelaide

3rd Test - December 14-18 - Brisbane

4th Test - December 26-30 - Melbourne

5th Test - January 3-7 - Sydney

Click on the image to read the full article.

IND A vs AUS A: Rahul, Easwaran’s poor show keeps opening spot in question; Jurel boosts middle order credentials

India A lost matches in both Mackay and Melbourne despite the presence of multiple senior India squad members including KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Prasidh Krishna.

Three days before India’s scheduled departure to Australia for the much-anticipated five-Test series for the Border Gavaskar Trophy, India’s team management had a meeting with the top Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hierarchy.

Three days before India’s scheduled departure to Australia for the much-anticipated five-Test series for the Border Gavaskar Trophy, India’s team management had a meeting with the top Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hierarchy. 

India captain Rohit Sharma and selection panel chairman Ajit Agarkar met BCCI president Roger Binny and secretary Jay Shah at the Cricket Centre, the BCCI headquarters, here on Thursday evening. Sportstar understands that head coach Gautam Gambhir also joined through teleconferencing.

According to a source, the meeting was not a knee-jerk reaction to India’s series whitewash at home by New Zealand.

“It was a routine meeting between the office-bearers and the senior team management. They were supposed to meet during the Pune Test but since the office-bearers couldn’t travel to Pune, it was scheduled this week.” 

However, the timing of the meeting is bound to raise eyebrows, considering the annihilation on home soil for three matches in succession. The series loss has also put India’s chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship in jeopardy.

The New Zealand series – Gambhir’s first major Test assignment since taking charge in July – saw India reverting to the rank-turner policy. While the policy backfired, it put additional pressure on Gambhir and Rohit – who along with veteran Virat Kohli have had a forgettable 2024 with the willow in Tests – for the forthcoming tour. 

The source, however, stressed that the meeting focused more on charting out the roadmap than discussing the series loss against New Zealand.

With Shah set to resign at the month-end and take over as the ICC Chair next month, the meeting may end up being his last meeting with the team management in his current capacity.

- Amol Karhadkar

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.

What time will the India Head Coach’s press conference begin?

The Indian Head Coach’s press conference ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series will begin at 9 am on Novemeber 11. 

Where is the press conference being held?

The Head Coach’s presser is being held in Mumbai, at the ITC Maratha hotel. 

Will the press conference will be live telecast?

The presser is expected to be telecast live on the Star Network and the Disney+ Hotstar app. 

Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s live coverage of India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir’s press conference ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy beginning later this month. Stay Tuned for all live updates and news from the presser!