India head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed confidence in Virat Kohli’s hunger and ability to bounce back despite his recent dip in form. Kohli has registered only one fifty, scoring 76 against South Africa in Centurion in December 2023, in his last eight innings. As India prepares for a three-Test series against New Zealand starting on Wednesday, followed by a five-match series against Australia, Gambhir emphasised that Kohli’s determination remains as strong as ever.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Gambhir says that his thoughts has always been very clear in regard to Virat Kohli, he is a world class player who has played well for a long time but still he is as hungry to perform as he was on his debut. Gambhir adds that what sets Virat apart from others is his hunger and the coach is quite sure that Virat is very eager to score runs in this series and in the series against Australia as well.
Gambhir highlighted Kohli’s consistency once he regains his form and said that when Virat will enter the phase in which he will score runs, he will be very consistent at that time. The coach added that he strongly feels Virat is targeting the series against the Kiwis to get his rhythm back before the important Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
He also stated that it’s unfair to judge a player based on a single game or series. He added that players shouldn’t get judged after every match because it is a sport and failures happen in sports but what matters the most is whether the team is getting the desired results.
Gambhir, who has previously spoken about backing players through challenging phases, reiterated his commitment to creating a supportive team environment. With eight more Test matches lined up in the upcoming months, he emphasized the importance of maintaining confidence in the squad.
Gambhir concluded by saying that not every player is able to perform the best every day but their focus is on supporting their players. He added that his role is to stand by his players and make sure that the strongest playing eleven gets selected without making any decisions in haste. Gambhir said that he is pretty confident that his players are ready for a long schedule and quite eager to perform well.
The first test match of the 3-match series will be played between India and New Zealand from 16th Oct at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
