Four months, three opponents, 10 Tests and a place in the World Test Championship final waiting for the grabs. For a team that has been the most consistent one in the format, this season could well be an era defining one. The WTC title may still be eluding India, but for the nucleus of the side, who have been the torchbearers of Test cricket, this is a format that has been close to their heart. It is the one they see their future in, especially after handing over the baton to the young generation. Their new head coach Gautam Gambhir has already experienced it first hand in the dressing room that he wants to take forward the legacy seeds sowed by Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid.
A new head coach coming in usually brings changes in personnel, style with a new vision being planted. But as India’s home season begins with the first Test against Bangladesh here on Thursday, with their eyes already directed towards the five Tests in Australia beginning November, Gambhir laid bare his plans.
“Look, I’ve always been a believer that the best style is the style that wins,” Gambhir began. “We want to be a team that adapts and that learns quickly, rather than adopting one style. Because if you start adopting one style, then there is no growth. We want guys to be playing the situation, the conditions, and then keep growing every day. And that is all that matters. You know, all this, giving a name to a certain style and playing only one way, see, ultimately sport is all about results. And the best, as I just mentioned, the best style is the style that wins,” Gambhir said.
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It almost sounded as if Shastri was behind the mic. From being a result-oriented style under Shastri-Virat Kohli, under Rahul Dravid it was process driven. With Dravid having three ICC white-ball events in less than two years, India’s priority had titled towards the short formats with the Test squad almost in auto-pilot mode. But here we are, with the Test stars in the mid-30s and a transition already underway, India are now setting their sight on lifting the WTC maze, which has eluded them in the last two cycles despite reaching successive finals.
It was evident as early as last month when Gambhir wanted the Test regulars to feature in the Duleep Trophy to prepare for the gruelling season ahead. The upcoming two Tests against Bangladesh and the three to follow against New Zealand give Gambhir the perfect landing in the format. With a full-strength squad disposal, should India bring their A-game, overcoming Bangladesh won’t be much of a task. But Gambhir knows there is work to be done in the format, especially when out of the four Tests they have lost since 2013, three have come in the last three years.
In every series over the last couple of years, they have found new chinks appearing out of nowhere. They have been able to find solutions from with-in as well as from those coming into the set up like in the case of Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan in the Tests against England. But with a tour of Australia on the horizon, such openings have the potential to drag their proud legacy down.
In Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, the nucleus of the side is still intact. That Gambhir took several references in the 19-minute interaction with the media revealed how much he values their experience. But more importantly, despite the young ones waiting in the wings, he threw the weight behind the ones who have been part of the set-up. In that sense, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, two players who are expected to play a big role in Australia in the middle-order will straightaway start at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
“I feel Jurel is a quality player and he has done phenomenally well in the last season, played some really crucial knocks under pressure against England. But again, when Rishabh is coming in, obviously he’s done really well across most of the conditions. So sometimes people will have to wait. And someone like Sarfaraz (Khan), yes, he’s also done really well, but sometimes you just have to wait for the opportunity and keep working hard, keep doing the right things. That is what bench strength is all about,” Gambhir said.
While Australia is still a couple of months away, for India to get past Bangladesh and New Zealand unscathed at home, there is a lot to be done with regards to their game against spinners. Unlike Australia and England – their last two opponents at home in Tests – they were undone by unheralded spinners. But both Bangladesh and New Zealand have a quality pool of spinners with experience in hand. In his first assignment in Sri Lanka, Gambhir saw India combust against their spinners, reopening old wounds.
“I still believe that this batting lineup has so much quality that we can play any opposition, any bowling line-up, any spin attack in any conditions. In Test Cricket, you have time to defend and get the bowler to play on his own strength. If you want to play well in Test Cricket, it will come down to how tight your defence is. A good defence can definitely make you a good Test cricketer. So, it is important to work on those small things,” Gambhir said.
