Gautam Gambhir unfazed by criticism, says focus remains on winning trophies for India

Gautam Gambhir dismissed criticism over India’s recent Test struggles, saying his priority remains winning trophies. The head coach backed Kuldeep Yadav and the five-bowler strategy, insisting India are undergoing a transition and rankings do not reflect their progress

Colombo: Gautam Gambhir is not bothered by the “outside noise” and criticism directed at him following a string of poor results, saying his focus remains firmly on “winning trophies for India”.

Since Gambhir took over as head coach in July 2024, India have lost two home Test series against New Zealand and South Africa and were thrashed by Australia Down Under.

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The only silver lining in Tests under his stewardship has been a creditable 2-2 away series draw against England.

Asked about the criticism, Gambhir responded in his inimitable manner.

“Criticism? My job is to win trophies. That’s all I believe in. That is the difference between me and everyone. I don’t care about views or likes,” Gambhir said during a pre-match press conference here on Saturday.

Gambhir was also asked about his interaction with chairman of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar.

“I wish I could tell you about the conversation between the head coach and the chairman of selectors. It’s only about how we want to move forward within cricket, what is important and what are the right decisions to make for the betterment of cricket. So, probably, it’s only around cricket now, how we see the game going forward,” he added.

However, Gambhir admitted that discussions have taken place within the team management regarding the frequent injuries to players.

“Even in this series, we have been missing so many players. We have had a bit (of concern). It’s not the BCCI, but overall, we want our best players to play as much cricket as possible. It is also because there will be continuity and we can put our best players on the park as regularly as we can.”

India are currently placed fifth in the World Test Championship table behind Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh.

But for Gambhir, the rankings do not matter, and he said they do not accurately reflect the way India have been playing Test cricket.

“Rankings do not matter. We are not struggling. Since the England tour, we have played reasonable Test cricket. I think we are going through a transition.

“I am sure that people sitting in the press box and in the commentary box know that we are going through a transition. There will be ups and downs. But we know that wherever we are getting it right,” he added.

Encouragement for Kuldeep

While he did not fully divulge whether India would stick to the winning combination from Galle in the second Test, Gambhir had words of encouragement for under-fire left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Kuldeep conceded over 100 runs in his 25 combined overs in the first Test, claiming only one wicket.

“Ultimately, we know how good a bowler Kuldeep is. More importantly, sometimes, it’s up to the captain as well (team selection). It’s not about under-bowling. It’s about getting the result. For me, I think that is more important.

“When you play five proper bowlers, someone will eventually get under-bowled. But it’s not about someone not delivering and getting under-bowled. It’s the captain’s or management’s decision as to who will be most effective in those particular conditions.

“For a very long period of time, we have seen Kuldeep doing the right things. We know how successful and effective he can be in the right conditions,” Gambhir explained.

However, the former India opener hinted that India will stick to their five-bowler policy in the second Test as well.

“If it’s a very flat wicket, the bowlers will have to work hard, maybe put in a lot of extra effort, because, as I said, you’ll have to take 20 wickets. If it’s a flat wicket, ultimately, we have only one solution. We have five proper bowlers.”

Gambhir said having five bowlers will help the skipper rotate them more effectively during a match.

“So, when you have five proper bowlers, you can better rotate your bowlers. We saw this in the last Test match as well. Even if Kuldeep didn’t bowl a lot, we had five proper bowlers who can get you a wicket at any stage.

“But if you don’t have five proper bowlers, then you won’t be able to rotate your seniors as well, and they will have to come back early. You want them to come and create an impact. So, I always say that the team that has five proper bowlers is not a luxury; it always has a better chance of winning a Test match,” he added.