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India head coach Gautam Gambhir hopes that the series defeat to New Zealand will motivate his players to become better.
India's head coach Gautam Gambhir has refused to put the responsibility of India's poor performance against New Zealand in the ongoing Test series at home on the shoulders of the batsmen alone. New Zealand have taken a decisive 2-0 lead in the three-match series – their first such series win in India after impressive wins in Bengaluru and Pune.
In Bengaluru, the tourists stunned their hosts with seam and swing favorable conditions. In Pune, which featured a spin-friendly pitch, India were expected to make a comeback but in a surprise turn of events, New Zealand got the best of Rohit Sharma's men in conditions they were expected to struggle.
“Everyone has a responsibility. “I can't say that it's only the batsmen who have let us down,” Gambhir told reporters on Thursday ahead of the third Test starting at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium from November 1.
This was Gambhir's second Test series after being appointed head coach and this defeat is 'paining' the two-time World Cup winner.
However he feels that the result can motivate his players to perform better in future.
Gambhir said, “I will not believe that it hurts.” “It should hurt and it will make us better. What is wrong in being in this position? I am sure this will inspire the youth to become better cricketers. If we have results like Kanpur, then similar results can also happen and we will keep moving forward.
One of the highlights of India's disappointing performance was the inability of their batsmen to build on and build on the innings. However, Gambhir feels it is more about how a team approaches a session.
“Test cricket should be played like Test cricket. If we want to score 400 runs in a one-day game, we should be able to achieve it. For me this season is also about playing. If we play 4.5 sessions we will have a lot of runs.
Gambhir refused to comment on the Wankhede pitch, with reports claiming he sought a rank-turner. “It is a good wicket. It is very difficult for anyone to take a decision before both the teams bat on it.