India’s coach Gambhir blames flat wickets, T20s for poor Test batting
Al Jazeera
‘The more T20 cricket is played, the less people start defending,’ Gambhir says after his team’s home series loss.
Batsmen have forgotten how to defend in Test cricket because of the T20 game, says India coach Gautam Gambhir as his team look to avoid a 3-0 home series whitewash against New Zealand in Mumbai.
The Black Caps sealed their first-ever Test series victory on Indian soil last week in Pune and are now chasing a clean sweep in the final match starting Friday at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
India’s famed batting, led by skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, has flopped in the series including the hosts’ 46 all out in the first innings of the opening Test.
Gambhir attributed the poor showing to an attacking 20-over mindset, at the expense of the conservative posture needed for long spells at the crease.
“Foundation of your batting in Test cricket has to be defence,” Gambhir said on Thursday.
