IND vs NZ 3rd Test: IPL has nothing to do with me, says Gambhir ahead of player retention

With the retention list for the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to be released on the eve of the Test match, head coach Gautam Gambhir does not see it as a distraction.

India’s coach Gautam Gambhir during the press conference ahead of India vs New Zealand 3rd Test. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI/The Hindu

On paper, India’s final Test against New Zealand, beginning on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium, is a dead-rubber.

However, in reality, India has lots to play for. With the series decided in the visiting team’s favour, India needs to return to winning ways to keep its hopes alive in the World Test Championship final race.

But with the retention list for the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to be released on the eve of the Test match, a large section of the cricketing fraternity seems to be busy finding out who will be retained or released by their respective franchises ahead of the next season of the IPL.

India head coach Gautam Gambhir, however, does not see it as a distraction. “It doesn’t bother me one bit,” he said on Thursday.

“I think it’s about Indian cricket tomorrow. It’s about the Test match that’s coming up tomorrow. IPL has nothing to do with me,” Gambhir, who was the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders in the last edition of the IPL, stated.

Having suffered a home series defeat - first in 12 years - India hopes to bounce back and have a win under its belt before flying out to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. And going forward, Gambhir believes that draws will be a thing of the past in Test cricket.

“I don’t think we will be able to see a lot of draws now in Test cricket because of the quality of batters and their abilities. It will be more result-oriented as well. It’s a combination of being under pressure every week because of the World Test Championship points, and the second thing is T20 cricket,” Gambhir said.

After taking over the reins from Rahul Dravid a few months ago, Gambhir’s journey as the head coach of the Indian team hasn’t been quite smooth. The team won the T20Is against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and also cliched the Test series against Bangladesh. But it suffered an ODI series defeat in Sri Lanka and adding to the woes, went on to lose the Test series against New Zealand.

Gambhir, however, made it clear that he never expected smooth sailing. “I’ll be honest, I never expected a very easy run for me because international cricket is never easy,” Gambhir said.

“I know we lost in Sri Lanka. We lost at home as well in New Zealand. It’s not a big place to be. All we can do is be absolutely honest to ourselves and keep working hard, keep working hard with the group and keep preparing them well and keep getting the results because ultimately, I think we want to try and win every game where we represent the country…”