In his debut on-camera dressing room speech, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir gave a subtle yet poignant message to senior players, including Hardik Pandya, who are taking breaks from international cricket. This speech came after India’s 3-0 clean sweep in the T20I series against Sri Lanka, marking a strong start to Gambhir’s coaching tenure and Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy.
Highlights from Gambhir’s Speech
Gambhir praised the team’s resilience and commended their fighting spirit, particularly in challenging situations like the third match in Pallekele. He highlighted the importance of continuous improvement, especially on tricky pitches, urging players to keep refining their skills and assessing conditions quickly.
“Guys, congratulations on a great series win. Congratulations to Surya as well, outstanding captaincy and with the bat as well. I asked for something before the start of the game and you absolutely delivered it. This is what happens when you keep fighting, (and when) you don’t give up,” Gambhir told the team in a dressing room chat shared by BCCI on ‘X’.
“We keep getting better, we keep improving our skills as well because we still need to get better on playing on wickets like these, because we might end up getting these kind of wickets (in future). So we should first assess the situation and conditions really quickly and what is the par score as well,” he said.
Advice to Players on Breaks
Gambhir addressed players not part of the upcoming ODI series, emphasizing the need to maintain high fitness levels even during breaks. He underscored that taking a break is acceptable but returning with the right mindset and fitness is crucial.
“Some of the guys will not be a part of the 50-overs format will have a longer break, so make sure when you come back for the Bangladesh series…you can take a break. You absolutely deserve it, but more importantly, keep your skills and especially the fitness levels high.”
“You don’t want to come for that series thinking that ‘okay, I can just turn up, probably deliver for the team’. So make sure that from the fitness point of view, the fitness levels are right up there,” he said.
Context of Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya, who requested a break from the ODI format for personal reasons, was indirectly addressed. The BCCI clarified that Pandya would be considered for ODIs only if he proves his fitness in domestic cricket.
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