IND vs NZ: Kohli hungry for runs, no need to judge after every match, says Gambhir

Kohli has made only one fifty, a 76 against South Africa at Centurion in December 2023, in his last eight innings, and him regaining his touch is crucial for India against New Zealand in a three-Test rubber.

FILE PHOTO: India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli during the practice session ahead of the first Bangladesh Test. | Photo Credit: RAGU R/The Hindu

Back in 2009, Gautam Gambhir played a stellar knock in the second India-New Zealand Test at Napier. His nearly 11-hour vigil helped India force a draw when following on.

Now the India head coach, Gambhir does not entertain warm tales of nostalgia. “All that is history. It is in the past,” Gambhir said at a press conference here on Monday when reminded of his exploits.

The follow-up question, however, got Gambhir’s attention. In this age of attacking cricket, is it possible for a batter to show the immense patience that Gambhir did in that Napier match? The former opener certainly believes so.

“We want to be a team that can make 400 runs in a day, and bat for two days to get a draw. That’s called growth. That’s called adaptability. That’s called Test cricket. If we’re in a situation where we have to bat for two days to draw, we have a lot of individuals who can do that. The first motive is to win the match, and the second or last option is to play for a draw,” Gambhir said.

The first Test between India and New Zealand, which commences here on Wednesday, could see Virat Kohli reach 9,000 Test runs. The former India captain is 53 runs short of the mark.

Kohli has not made a fifty in the three Tests he has played this year but did chip in with an important 35-ball 47 against Bangladesh in the second Test at Kanpur.

Gambhir stated that Kohli is as hungry as ever for the big runs. “My thoughts about Virat has always been very clear - he is a world-class cricketer. He has performed for such a long period of time, and he is as hungry as when he made his debut.

“I remember opening the batting with him when he made his debut in Sri Lanka (in 2008). Even now, his hunger is always there. I am sure that he will be looking forward to these three Tests and the series in Australia as well,” Gambhir said.

Gambhir explained that this era belongs to bowlers and that it is time to get over the general obsession with batters. “This is the time of bowlers. Batters only set up matches. It is very important that our batter-obsessed attitude ends. If a batter makes a thousand runs, there is no guarantee that he will win the Test match.

“But if a bowler takes 20 wickets, there is a 99 per cent guarantee that he will win the Test match. In any format, bowlers win you the tournament. I hope that in this era, we will talk more about bowlers as compared to batters,” Gambhir said.