Gambhir: Having Bumrah in the team ‘really an honour’

India are in the middle of a fundamental change and it is partly because of Jasprit Bumrah. Ahead of his first Test series in charge, Gautam Gambhir touched on how he’s started to have an effect far beyond just his cricket.

“It has not happened many times in India where we started talking about the bowler,” Gambhir said. “I think it has always been about batters, batters and batters. India at one stage was a batting-obsessed nation. And you’ve got to give credit to Bumrah, [Mohammed] Shami, [Mohammed] Siraj, [R] Ashwin, [Ravindra] Jadeja that now they are turning this intention into a bowling obsessed… not bowling obsessed nation that we started talking about the bowler.”

Bumrah might only have played 36 Tests but his numbers are startling. He’s taking a five-wicket haul (ten so far) roughly once in three Tests and he’s been the driving force behind some of India’s most famous wins – Oval 2021, Melbourne 2018, Visakhapatnam 2024.

“Bumrah is the best fast bowler in the world in all the three formats. And it’s not just his performance, it’s just his hunger as well. The best part is that he wants to play as much Test cricket as he can.

“I think what he has done in T20 format in West Indies to what he can do in red-ball cricket, what he did against England. So I feel that yes, it is actually not even a luxury. I think it’s really an honour that we’ve got someone like Bumrah playing for us and sitting in that dressing room. We can make a change, we can make a difference at any stage of the game. So yes, hopefully, we can do the same in this series and going forward as well.”

Gambhir: ‘Want India to adapt and learn quickly’

Gambhir is taking the reins of a very successful Test team and even though he hasn’t really been a coach at any level he believes the relationships that he’s built with the India players from his 12 years as an all-format opening batter will ease him into the job. He has set himself no mandate other than to win games for India.

“I’ve always been a believer that the best style is the style that wins and we want to be a team that adapts and 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.”

Given this is the home season for India and the Test match against Bangladesh on Thursday will be played in Chennai, a fair bit of focus will be on the spinners. Gambhir explained how he would pick them.

“Obviously, first is the impact they can create on day one and on day five,” he said. “India has been very fortunate that we’ve got people like Ashwin and Jadeja. They’ve bowled really well in tandem as well, and we know how they can contribute on day one. Because for Test cricket, the most important thing is that you should have the ability to bowl defensive, and you should have the ability to bowl attacking stuff as well. So I feel that we’re going to have an attack which can take 20 wickets, and those two guys are definitely going to create a lot of impact in Indian conditions.”

India have never lost a Test to Bangladesh but Gambhir has been careful not to let that affect the way they prepare for the game in Chennai on Thursday. “You don’t change your intensity by looking at the opposition,” he said. “International cricket means that, do you have that hunger for every session, every hour, every ball? Because, ultimately, when you are playing for your country, and when the other 15 players are playing for their country, they will be good and anyone can defeat anyone. So, if you think that, changing your intensity by looking at Australia or England, I think, no high-quality side does that. And, it shouldn’t be done. A champion side is the one who sets their own standards.

“Bangladesh has got some really quality cricketers. Shakib [Al Hasan] has got the experience. Mushfiqur [Rahim] has got the experience. You’ve got a very good bowling attack as well. Mehidy [Hasan Miraz] is there as well. So we know that there is talent in Bangladesh. But the important thing is that we need to be switched on from ball one. And that is what the expectations from all of us are in that dressing room.”

“The best style is the style that wins and 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”

Gautam Gambhir, India head coach

Gambhir is very happy with the talent pool that he has to work with. “The best thing is that, from the last seven-eight days, my first Sri Lanka tour, I have seen one thing, that all the players sitting in that dressing room, how much they like to play for India. We always say that players like to play IPL. But, there’s not much truth in this. Ultimately, when you represent your country, there’s nothing greater than that.”

But switching between formats does create a challenge for them, especially in Test cricket. India, despite 17 successive series victories at home, haven’t been immune to this. Their batters are going through a little bit of a lull when it comes to making big scores.

“This batting line-up has so much quality that we can play any opposition, any bowling line-up, any spin attack in any conditions,” Gambhir said. “What happens is we often judge [ability to play spin] a lot looking at T20 and one-day cricket; there’s a heaven and earth difference. In one-day cricket, you don’t get much time to defend. In Test cricket, you have time to defend and make the bowler bowl into your strengths. But, for that, the most important thing is if you want to play well in Test cricket, how tight is your defence?

“We have played in T20 format on so many good wickets that sometimes, it feels like you have to develop so many shots. But the foundation is your defence. When we started, any youngster was taught to defend. If your defence is strong, you can develop everything on that defence. But, if you think that you have all kinds of shots and if you want to be a good Test cricketer, there is no guarantee for that.”