Former opening batter Gautam Gambhir took over as India’s head coach after the team’s successful T20 World Cup 2024 campaign in the Caribbean. Despite a mixed run in Tests, where the side struggled in the initial outings before showing positive signs subsequently, Team India has delivered remarkable performances under his tenure.
Since their 2024 title triumph, India have been dominant in the shortest format, registering 26 wins against just four losses and clinching seven T20I series, the latest coming with their victory over Australia Down Under. These performances serve as a strong boost ahead of their title defence on home soil.
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Gautam Gambhir Gives His Verdict On Flexible Batting Lineups
In an interview on bcci.tv, India head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasized his firm belief in maintaining flexible batting lineups – a quality he considers crucial for success in T20 cricket.
“That (fluid batting order) has been the ideology from day one when I took over as the head coach. From Sri Lanka till now, it hasn’t changed. I think the batting orders are very overrated, except the openers obviously,” said Gambhir.
“Two openers are permanent, rest I think everything shuffles because it’s not the amount of runs that matter in T20I cricket, it’s the impact that matters,” he added.
Explaining further, Gambhir stated that the side was looking to go beyond individual performances and focus on what mattered to the team as a whole.
“We don’t want to play the game thinking about averages and strike rates; we are thinking about how much impact a person can create in what situation. T20 cricket will evolve, and as coaches if we don’t evolve, we will be behind the eight ball, and we don’t want to be that,” the Indian head coach said.
“We want to be ahead of T20 cricket and that is what the young boys have adapted. Hopefully they continue to adapt and evolve in the future.
It is high risk, high reward. We want this team to be fearless but at the same time being smart as well,” he added.
Gautam Gambhir Opens Up On India’s All-Round Advantage
Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir also spoke about India’s all-round advantage. He feels that it gives his team balance across conditions.
“We have got someone like Axar (Patel) and Washi (Washington Sundar) who can bat and bowl. They can get into the side purely as a batter as well, that’s how good they are as a batter,” said Gambhir.
“It is a great luxury to have, and I think they will play a very, very important role, come the World Cup. Not only the World Cup or the sub-continental conditions, but with the quality they have, they are going to flourish in most conditions. But we are still not where we want to be in three months down the line (for the World Cup), hopefully we will be there,” he added.
