“They have always been underdogs, no one rates them very highly but they have always done well in every conditions”, Gambhir told reporters on Thursday.
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The left-hander also reflected his views on use of pink ball in Test cricket, insisting that there was no need to change the traditional method of the longest format of the game while adding that the experiment of using the new ball instead of red one should be done in shorter formats. He was even dropped for the third Test against the West Indies recently.
“I definitely feel sad but that only act as a motivation”.
“I have always maintained that I am a traditionalist, and personally, I’d prefer playing Tests with a red ball”.
Cheteshwar Pujara thinks the Duleep Trophy is a ideal preparation for the upcoming New Zealand test series. They can make an impact in the series. “They have got three spinners (in Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig) and spinners of whichever sides bowl well it will eventually decide the series”, Gambhir said on the sidelines of the launch of a talent hunt programme, Indian Junior Players League (IJPL), of which he is the brand ambassador.
He also praised coach Anil Kumble for his aggressive approach which also rubs in on the players.
“It was a happy dressing room”. He is a well-read person and a dedicated coach.
The Delhi Ranji captain last played Test cricket in 2014, and that appearance came after a hiatus of two years. “It’s a bit tough to comment (on the pink ball) because when we were bowling, the ball wasn’t swinging much, whereas when they bowled, it was swinging”.
“You should just go out there and look to control things which you can control, rest is selectors job”. We batted poorly. On the other hand, they (India Blue) did wonderfully well with both bat and the ball.
The Delhi batsman has hit good form in recent times and his 356 runs played a big role in securing victory for his India Blue team in the just concluded Duleep Trophy. So, there are two sides of it.
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“I thought when you win the toss and someone gets a 250, it’s fantastic, hopefully, he (Pujara) can carry this form into worldwide cricket”. Cheteshwar Pujara – 256*, Duleep Trophy The first double-centurion against the pink ball in Indian first-class cricket was Cheteshwar Pujara, who had made 166 in the previous match.
