Gautam Gambhir’s formula is play aggressive and positive cricket

Gautam Gambhir’s press conferences are tuning out be an education of sorts for the media as well as hordes of cricket fans. The new coach of Team India spoke at length in Bengaluru on Monday and offered an insight into the blueprint he has prepared for the teams. His job does not involve the same template for all formats. As a shrewd cricketer turned coach, the Gambhir imprint is there for all to see. Losing a short ODI series in Sri Lanka in August may have been an aberration but the way India dominated against Bangladesh in the two Tests and the three T20 internationals was defining.

Gambhir spoke on what he expects will be the template in Test cricket. At a time when the word Bazball has been overused to an extent of abuse and the Englishmen think they can win with it all the time, India have shown results without talking too much. Yes, England did well against Pakistan in the first Test on a runway of a track in Multan which resulted in wholesale sacking recently for the hosts.

Gambhir spoke of how Test cricket demands adaptability and if the team can score even 400 runs in a day, so be it. Call it aggression or batting in turbo charge mode, Gambhir the new coach who is well versed with modern day cricket wants the Indians to be fearless. The way India won the Kanpur Test against Bangladesh was defining, where rain had robbed play for over two days. But the way the batters and bowlers responded was awesome and to win the Test on the fifth day was defining. All this talk from Gambhir was ahead of the Test series against New Zealand, to be held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, from Wednesday.

There is no fixed way to go about things, and this is where the adaptability which Gambhir is talking about is important. In the old days, Test cricket may have been dull and dour. Such cricket is boring and nobody wants to see it, really. Fans want to see cricket played at a fast pace with an equal opportunity for batters and bowlers. So, how does the 400 runs a day work in Test cricket? Gambhir has hinted the team has batters who can score in that pattern and right from the top, skipper Rohit Sharma bats in such a way he appears in a hurry. It’s almost a year since the ICC World Cup (ODI format) began in India last year. Rohit Sharma showed he would not care about caution and focus on scoring fast runs. Scoring in red ball cricket and white ball cricket are different. Yet, if one understands Gambhir correctly, his plan is runs are piled up. And Rohit bats that way as an example, which disturbs the rhythm of bowlers.

As a protagonist of attacking cricket whose exploits are well known, Gambhir had mastered a few things at KKR in the IPL, first as coach and then mentor. He knows the upcoming Tests series against New Zealand will be more challenging. He has also talked of how a team can lose wickets and fold up quickly. In such a scenario, Gambhir feels the onus is on the bowlers.

Again, the concept of defensive bowling is now alien to Indian cricket, whatever be the format. If Gambhir says that in cricket the game is not just about batters, his point is valid. Ultimately, the bowlers have to get the wickets. In Tests, the bowlers have to go for 20 wickets and that cannot happen with a defensive mindset is what Gambhir has harped on. This is good news for all the bowlers who play for India and want to play for India, whatever be the format. India is blessed with fast bowlers of quality as well as top class spinners. The way Jasprit Bumrah, R.Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja attack is cunning. Results have been seen.

If one goes back to the T20 match in Uppal, Hyderabad, India inching towards the 400 mark against Bangladesh was mind blowing. The carnage was crazy and how Sanju Samson batted was a delight. He was, obviously, encouraged by captain Suryakumar Yadav. However, after hearing Gambhir speak on Monday, it is clear he is giving the chancer to batters to go out and produce aggressive cricket. Has Gambhir already become a players’ coach? It seems so, for he has been able to mix with the seasoned superstars and Young Turks who have made their entry into the side. The big picture is how this team does well in Australia. Gambhir has offered a glimpse, cricket will be positive and not boring!