Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir said Indian batters need to find ways to handle tough batting conditions after India’s 244-run defeat to New Zealand in the fourth ODI of the five-game series.
Speaking at the post-match press conference after India’s whopping defeat, Gambhir said that he doesn’t want to get into technical aspects of batting. Still, he admitted that batters should adapt to the challenging conditions.
“I don’t go into technicality. There wasn’t a lot of deviation, its job of batter to negate movement. More than seam, areas and length created problems for us. We got stuck into the crease,” Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.
“Even last game we were 7 down for 111 it is a bit of concern. We need to be mentally, skill wise ready. 35-40/0 is fine in conditions like these. We have experience and can hopefully adapt in the last game,” he added.
Further, Gambhir noted that there were no unplayable deliveries in the game of cricket, adding that ace New Zealand pacer Matt Henry bowled in good areas, but the Indian batters should be able to negate those deliveries.
“There are no unplayable deliveries in international cricket. Matt Henry bowled in good areas but we should be able to negate that. You are always concerned when you get bundled out for 90 odd. These are conditions close to World Cup. Even previous game we lost seven wickets, its a concern,” he added.
Gambhir also highlighted India’s missed opportunities in the field, particularly the reprieves given to New Zealand centurion Will Young. The right-hander was dropped twice early in his innings but made the most of those chances, going on to score 125.
“Auqib Nabi was unlucky, had we got Will Young it could have been different. There’s always hindsight. We dropped catches and will have to pay for it,” Gambhir concluded.
