Gill, Gambhir address media ahead of England tour: Key takeaways
What's the story
Skipper Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the media ahead of India's impending five-match Test series against hosts England, starting June 20. The duo spoke on various topics, including Team India's potential combination for the series. Gambhir also expressed his disapproval of roadshows after India's 2007 win and suggested future celebrations could be held in stadiums for safety reasons.
Pressure acknowledged
Gill opens up on replacing Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma
Gill acknowledged the pressure of playing without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who recently retired from Test cricket. "Definitely, two very experienced players who played for such a long time and won so many times, very difficult to fill their space. But it is not a different kind of pressure, all of us players are used to it," said the Indian captain.
Batting position
Gill unsure of his batting position
When asked about his batting position, Gill said he is unsure about the same. "I have not decided. We will play an intra squad match and have a 10-day camp in London. Will decide batting combination when you go there," he added. Notably, Gill could take up Kohli's Number 4 slot, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan opening the batting.
Jasprit Bumrah
Gambhir on Bumrah's workload
As reported earlier, premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah is expected to play only three of the five Tests owing to workload management. Speaking on the same, Gambhir said, "Not decided which three Tests Bumrah will play. Our pacers are in great space to win us Test matches from any position. When you have someone like Bumrah, depending on how many matches he plays, will be a great sight for us."
Condolences expressed
Condolences to families of victims
Gambhir also extended his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the recent Bengaluru stampede around the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. He stressed on the importance of being responsible and said every life is important. Gambhir added that if proper preparations aren't made for a roadshow, it shouldn't be held at all. "Losing 11 lives is unacceptable," he said, emphasizing on safety during public events.
Players
Gambhir talks about Karun Nair, Shreyas Iyer
Gambhir also talked about Karun Nair's current form and the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer from the Test squad. "It's great for domestic cricket. Its always great to have players who have played country cricket. He got a double hundred for India-A. We will not judge him on 1-2 matches. You guys can, we will not," he said. On Iyer's snub, he added, "Anyone can be called if you are in form. We can only pick 18."
Information
India's squad for England Tests
Squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Vice-captain and Wicket-keeper), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, and Kuldeep Yadav.