This Indian team is not in transition, says Gambhir

India head coach Gautam Gambhir dismissed transition talk after the Old Trafford Test draw, praising the team’s resilience and Rishabh Pant’s courage to bat with a broken foot. He also backed allowing substitutes for serious injuries and gave an update on Bumrah’s availability.

HYDERABAD: India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir isn’t averse to the idea of having substitutes who can bat or bowl in case someone is unable to continue owing to a serious injury.

“I’m all for it. If the umpires and the match referee see and feel that there is a major injury, it’s very important to have this rule where you can get a substitute,” Gambhir said at a media briefing after pulling off a remarkable draw in the fourth Test at Old Trafford on Sunday night to level the five-match Test series two-all.

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“If it (the injury) is very visible, there is nothing wrong in doing that (allowing a replacement). Especially when it’s been such a closely fought series in the previous three Test matches, imagine if you had to play with 10 men against 11. How unfortunate would that be for us,” Gambhir said.

“The character and the foundation of this team will be built on something Rishabh did for the team and for the country as well. Any amount of praise is not enough for him, especially batting with a broken foot. Not many people have done that in the past,” Gambhir said.

“He put his hand up, and that is why I say any amount of praise is not enough. The generations to come forward will talk about this—that there is someone who has batted with a broken foot. And it’s unfortunate because of the kind of form he was in. But again, he’s an important member of the Test side. And I hope he recovers, comes back quickly and tries to deliver a game for us,” Gambhir said.

Reflecting on fast bowlers’ fitness levels, Gambhir confirmed that all the fast bowlers are fit and should be available for selection for the final Test at The Oval.

“However, no decision has been taken on Jasprit Bumrah yet. Before the series got underway, it was decided that the pacer would just play three Tests in the series, and he has already completed his quota,” he said.

“They (Indian batters) are making their own history… A lot of people wrote us off in this Test match, but this is the foundation of this team. These are characters who are sitting in this dressing room, wanting to fight for the country, and they will continue to do that,” Gambhir said.

“I don’t believe that the team is in transition, because it’s still an Indian team. And this is the best 18 that is going to represent, and more importantly, it’s not a transition, it’s just a little bit of inexperience,” Gambhir said.

“It’s only about experience and inexperience, and that is how we see this. But the most important thing is that these guys are going to learn a lot from what they did today, because being under pressure and then batting for five sessions is never easy, especially on a Day five wicket,” Gambhir said, adding: “We got to give it to the guys for the kind of character they have shown.”