NEW CHANDIGARH: Gautam Gambhir rarely drops his intensity, and Friday morning\u2014on the eve of India\u2019s one-off Test against Afghanistan\u2014was no different. The fixture, which sits outside the World Test Championship framework, has the feel of a deliberate effort by the BCCI\u2019s \u201cbig brothers\u201d to give Afghanistan exposure to Test cricket against a leading side.<\/p>\n
For Gambhir, it is also a necessary tune-up as India navigate the next stretch of the WTC cycle, where nine months will define their final standing. Being placed sixth in the WTC points table is, for the head coach, an uncomfortable reality after the momentum of defending the T20 World Cup on his previous assignment just three months earlier.<\/p>\n
Gambhir pushes back strongly when the group is labelled as \u201cin transition\u201d. He made the same point in Manchester last year, when he corrected the media\u2019s wording by saying the team was not \u201cin transition\u201d but rather \u201cinexperienced\u201d. On Friday, he cut short another question about transition and replied with a blunt timeline.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe actual transition happened in England. It\u2019s been nine Test matches. So, it\u2019s not a long phase. We lost two Test matches against South Africa and that hurts. The consistency will be missing because these are young boys,\u201d Gambhir said.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s struggles at the back end of the last WTC cycle followed Gambhir taking charge in 2024. The home loss to South Africa last year has further complicated India\u2019s prospects in the current cycle. With qualification now hinging on how India respond, every decision from here will be aimed at reviving their route to the knock-on phase of the WTC race.<\/p>\n
That leaves little room for comfort for regular Test players coming off a demanding IPL schedule. Gambhir underlined that the seriousness of Test cricket existed well before the WTC began in 2019, insisting there was no reason this match should be approached any differently.<\/p>\n
He also pointed out that this is the first Test since India\u2019s heavy surrender against South Africa, making the contest against Afghanistan a chance to reset standards quickly.<\/p>\n
One clear objective for the team management is to plug gaps in their available options. With an ageing Ravindra Jadeja rested for this match, India are looking for an extra spin option ahead of the two-Test series in Sri Lanka, expected to be played on pitches that could offer assistance to spinners in August.<\/p>\n
Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar\u2014both left-arm spinners\u2014are essentially being assessed here.<\/p>\n
Captain Shubman Gill and the team management have repeatedly spoken about the short gap before major Test assignments. Gill has even asked for a 15-day preparation window ahead of a Test series. Gambhir acknowledged that India have been given that window before the Sri Lanka tour\u2014but the sequence of fixtures leading into other series remains demanding.<\/p>\n
He explained that the two Tests in New Zealand come immediately after a five-match T20I and a five-match ODI stretch. Gambhir said India will have to withdraw some ODI players who are part of the Test group to manage that tight scheduling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very fortunate that we\u2019ve got enough time before the Sri Lanka series after the England tour. That\u2019s enough time to prepare for those two Test matches. In New Zealand, there are only three days between the last ODI and the first Test match. We will have to pull out ODI players who are part of the Test squad,\u201d Gambhir said.<\/p>\n
He also linked India\u2019s earlier shortcomings to a lack of preparation in red-ball cricket. Gambhir said the team has recognized the need to improve in that area, specifically referencing the gaps felt against West Indies and South Africa.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve realized that we need to start preparing better in red-ball cricket and that was something which was lacking against West Indies and also against South Africa. And that is something which we\u2019re going to do going forward,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Gambhir also spoke about India\u2019s approach to settling the batting order, particularly the No. 3 position. He said the team wants to give a longer run to identify a more definite solution there. While there have been concerns about Sudharsan\u2019s performances, Gambhir indicated the management may continue to back him instead of switching to Devdutt Padikkal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always believed we give the players a fair run. Sai is not in bad form. He\u2019s got 700 runs in IPL. If we judge players by only four or five Tests, then I feel that we will never be able to build something. Whenever Devdutt\u2019s time comes, we'll give him a fair run as well,\u201d Gambhir said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW CHANDIGARH: Gautam Gambhir rarely drops his intensity, and Friday morning\u2014on the eve of India\u2019s one-off Test against Afghanistan\u2014was no different. The fixture, which sits…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":14302,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Gautam Gambhir India vs Afghanistan Test Plan: IPL News","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Gautam Gambhir\u2019s India vs Afghanistan Test plan explained\u2014how the former opener is setting up a reset, with urgency and no room for excuses.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"\n