NEW DELHI: Gautam Gambhir neither confirmed nor denied that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are in India's 2027 World Cup plans. "It's very important to stay in the present," the head coach said. Gambhir, speaking after India's resounding 2-0 win over West Indies in the two-match Test series, also touched upon Shubman Gill's captaincy, adjusting to the cramped schedule and why he was not a fan of the Delhi strip. Excerpts from the press conference...
On Rohit and Virat being part of 2027 WC plans
The 50-over World Cup is still two-and-a-half years away. It is very important to stay in the present. They are quality players. They are coming back. Their experience is going to be valuable in Australia. Hopefully those two guys can have a successful tour, and more importantly, as a team we can have a successful series.
On how Gill has developed as a captain over the last few months
I think no one has done him a favour by appointing him the Test captain or one-day captain. I think he deserves every bit of it.
I think he's worked hard, and I've said it, that he ticks all the boxes. And for me as a coach, I think someone who's saying the right things, doing the right things, working hard, work ethics, commitment, putting his body on the line, being the first guy on the field, what more can a coach ask for? I know it's tough for him. It was tough, and I've said it many times, that England was probably the toughest Test for him.
Five Test matches over the course of two, two-and-a-half months, against a quality England side. What more could he have faced? But then again, the way he handled himself, and more importantly, I think the way he's handled the team, and more importantly, the way the team has responded. I think sometimes we only keep talking about the captain, but the way the team has responded to him, and to his leadership, is equally important.
You've got to give credit to the entire group in that dressing room. Yes, you do earn respect by scoring runs, but you also earn respect by saying the right things, and doing the right things. I think your actions should be more than any other thing, not just the performances.
He's done phenomenally well, and so has the group.
On the upcoming schedule and the need to adjust and adapt
I thought that the best thing that happened in the series was the way the Test guys prepared actually before the series. Going to play the India A games against Australia was very, very important.
And playing Ranji Trophy before the South Africa series is going to be equally important as well. I thought that is something which this group of players have done exceptionally well. They are preparing themselves really well for the Test series, and that is where you could see the results as well.
So, for me, I think, yes, sometimes it is difficult, but that is what professionalism is all about. Try and use the days to the best of their ability because we know that there are very quick turnarounds, especially from here to one-day cricket, then T20 cricket, and then, what, after four days, back to Test cricket. But again, the guys who are just part of Test cricket, I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important.
On the Delhi pitch
I thought that we could have had a better wicket here. For me, I'm not thinking about, yes, we did get the result on Day Five, but again, I think the nicks need to carry. I think there has to be something for the fast bowlers as well. I know we keep talking about spinners playing an important role, but when you've got probably two quality fast bowlers in your ranks, you still want them to be in the game as well.
There has to be carry. So what we all saw, I thought the carry wasn't there, which was a bit alarming. And I think going forward, we can get better wickets in Test cricket because all of us have the responsibility of keeping Test cricket alive.
I think the first and foremost thing to keep Test cricket alive is playing on good surfaces.
