India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, showered praise on opening batter Abhishek Sharma after his impressive century against England in the fifth T20I in Mumbai on Sunday, February 2. Abhishek’s blistering 135 off 54 balls, including 13 sixes and seven boundaries, played a pivotal role in India’s dominant 150-run victory in the dead rubber.
Gambhir noted that he had never seen a better T20 century against a quality bowling attack, with pacers hitting speeds between 140 and 150 kmph. He emphasized that players like Abhishek should be given more opportunities, recognizing his ability to win matches and supporting his aggressive style.
Gautam Gambhir shared his thoughts with Star Sports (via PTI/Hindustan Times):
“I haven’t seen a better T20 hundred against bowlers who are bowling at 140-150 kph consistently.”
“We are going to do this going forward, got to play fearless cricket. We want to keep backing players like Abhishek Sharma. We have to be patient to with these boys. Most of these boys believe in the ideology of playing fearless cricket,” he added.
Ahead of the ODI series, Gambhir expressed confidence in the team’s ability to set huge totals with their aggressive approach in white-ball cricket. The 43-year-old shared this in the same conversation:
“England are a very high quality side. We don’t want to fear losing a game. We want to get to a total of 250-260, and at times we will get bowled out for 120, but we are on the right track.”
“We want to play as aggressively as we can in the ODIs, want to entertain the crowd,” he added.
Gambhir also addressed the concussion substitution controversy involving Harshit Rana replacing Shivam Dube, stating:
“He probably bowled four overs today.”
Shivam Dube scored 30 off 13 balls and took two wickets in the match. Earlier, he had made 53 off 34 before being hit on the helmet in the fourth T20I in Pune. Harshit Rana replaced him during England’s chase, claiming three wickets to help India win by 15 runs and seal the series.
Gautam Gambhir responds to critics amid rift rumours
Gautam Gambhir hit back at critics weeks after rumors of a rift in the Indian dressing room during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He stated that when results go in the right direction, everything falls into place. He concluded:
“When results start going your way, everything goes well. Our players know what it means to represent 140-150 crore Indians.”
India, captained by Rohit Sharma, will face England in a three-match ODI series starting on Thursday, February 6, in Nagpur. Key players like Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja will also feature in the series.
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