Gautam Gambhir in press conference© AFP
India head coach Gautam Gambhir, on Wednesday, sent a loud and clear message to critics who have already started to bring up topic around Indian pitches being too spin-friendly. In recent years, Indian pitches have been subjected to plenty of criticism over early finishes, sometimes in even two or three days. Speaking to reporters ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh, Gambhir said that not much noise was made when India's Test matches in South Africa finishes in 2-3 days.
"When India goes South Africa and a Test ends in two days, when fast bowlers get enough help nobody talks about it. This debate has to end. You can't say Tests get over in India in two days... then opposition have to learn to play spinners," he said in the presser.
The India head coach also dismissed concerns surrounding Indian batters' recent struggle against quality spin bowling, saying that the line-up has enough firepower to take on the best in the world. While the Chepauk surface is expected to be spin-friendly, Gambhir isn't too worried with his batters's anticipated struggles against Bangladesh spinners
Speaking to media on the eve of the two-Test series against Bangladesh, Gambhir also said that the bowling quartet of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja has managed to offset India's obsession with batting.
"Our batting unit has so much quality that it can take on any spin unit," Gambhir asserted after being asked about the line-up's struggles in last month's white-ball series against Sri Lanka, especially in the ODI leg that India lost.
"There is a lot of difference between ODIs and Tests," he said.
He also heaped praise on the team's bowlers.
"India once was a batting-obsessed nation. But Bumrah, Shami, Ashwin and Jadeja have turned it into a bowlers' game," he pointed out.
With PTI inputs