India head coach Gautam Gambhir once again put his support behind his bowling unit, saying the current times belong to the bowlers and also said that the batsmen-obsessed attitude needs to end.
“This is the age of the bowlers. Batters only set up the matches. It’s very important for our batsman-obsessed attitude to end. If the batters make 1000 runs, there’s still no guarantee that the team will win a Test match but if a bowler takes 20 wickets, there’s a 99% guarantee that we’ll win the match. Be it Test matches or any other formats, bowlers win you tournaments. So I hope this era or the upcoming ones, we’ll talk more about bowlers than batters. And I hope the mindset changes over time,” Gambhir said in a press conference before India’s 1st Test against New Zealand, scheduled to take place in Bengaluru from October 16.
This isn’t the first time Gambhir has advocated on the importance of the bowlers, with the former Kolkata Knight Riders mentor praising his bowling unit before the Bangladesh Tests back in September.
“India is a batting obsessed nation. But Bumrah, Ashwin and Jadeja are changing that. Bumrah is smart in Test cricket. It is good these guys are changing the trend Bumrah is the best fast bowler in the world now who can make a difference at any stage of the game,” he had said.
This idea was further solidified when earlier this week, Bumrah was officially named the vice-captain for the three-match Test series against New Zealand. The move has been made to signify that Bumrah will step in as captain in case Rohit Sharma misses any Test in the near future.
The senior selection committee named Bumrah as deputy and The Indian Express understands that the selection committee will stick with him as stand-in captain in Test matches in case Sharma opts out for any game in future. Bumrah has already led India in one Test match, against England in Birmingham back in July 2022.
