Gambhir puts up a brave front, lauds 'positive efforts' in Leeds Test

Gambhir puts up a brave front, lauds ‘positive efforts’ in Leeds Test

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India head coach Gautam Gambhir put up a brave front following the team’s defeat to England in the opening Test at Leeds. Sources close to the team told CricBlogger that Gambhir remained composed in the dressing room and praised the top-order batters for their efforts.

Gambhir also emphasised the need for improvement in lower-order contributions with the bat with a special mention on fielding and catching which were below par, and highlighted India’s fighting spirit throughout the match.

“We had our moments. Our batters are in form, so let’s focus on the positives from the Test,” a team source quoted Gambhir as saying.

With social media abuzz with AI-generated images portraying Gambhir seemingly scoffing at Yashasvi Jaiswal and casting him in poor light, team sources have clarified that no such negativity exists within the camp.

Sources told CricBlogger that the team management has strongly emphasized unity, especially with such a young squad where players are expected to go through natural highs and lows.

“There will be ups and downs, but the message from the management is clear — the team must fight together. It’s never about individuals. It’s about the team,” a source close to the setup said.

The biggest examples of individual brilliance in the Leeds Test were Rishabh Pant’s twin centuries and Jasprit Bumrah’s tireless efforts with the ball. Rightly so. But despite five centuries, India suffered due to the lack of meaningful contributions from the lower-middle order and tailenders — a gap that proved costly.

It was also evident during the Leeds Test that Bumrah missed the presence of his trusted pace partner, Mohammed Shami, who is still not fully match-fit.

Sources told CricBlogger that the Indian team management is seriously considering a shift back to a more traditional bowling setup — fielding five proper bowlers rather than relying on bits-and-pieces players who offer limited value with either bat or ball — just like former captain Virat Kohli used to do.

It is also more or less confirmed that Kuldeep Yadav is likely to come into the XI in place of Shardul Thakur, in a bid to bolster the bowling attack and bring more variety to the spin department.