India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has voiced concerns about the team’s recent batting performance, especially as they faltered to just 89 runs in their 244-run defeat to New Zealand in the fourth ODI at Mount Maunganui. This makes two such instances in quick succession; earlier in the series, India struggled to reach 111 for 7 while chasing a modest target of 135, only securing victory through the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method due to rain interruptions. In the series thus far, India leads 2-1, with the final match also scheduled in Mount Maunganui.
“There’s no benefit to sweeping it under the carpet,” Gambhir stated at the Friday night press conference. “It isn’t just this match. Even in the previous match, we were seven down for 111 or 112.” He went on to emphasise the difficulties of adapting to these conditions, “You aren’t going to score 70-80 in the first 10 overs. If you’re 35-40 for no loss, that is also good enough. In India, the easiest time for batting is the first 10-15 overs. Here it’s probably the hardest time.”
For India, these batting challenges could foreshadow difficulties at the World Cup to be held in Southern Africa next year. “When you play in India, there’s hardly anything for the bowlers,” Gambhir explained. “But when you come to these conditions, there is actually a good contest between bat and ball.”
The recent match had New Zealand’s Matt Henry claiming the spotlight with an impressive 6 for 27, claiming three crucial wickets – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer – in his very first over. Gambhir felt that India’s batsmen could have been more proactive, mentioning, “Honestly, I don’t go into this much technicality, wobble seam and all that,” explaining that it was the lengths and areas that caused issues rather than seam movement.
India’s bowlers also faced challenges, with Gurnoor Brar being noted for his natural tendency to bowl shorter lengths, which works in some contexts but wasn’t as effective in this series. Auqib Nabi, meanwhile, was unfortunate not to secure early wickets due to dropped catches, giving Will Young the chance to go on and score 125.
India adjusted their squad with Anshul Kamboj leaving the ODI team, selecting wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav instead of a seamer. Kuldeep, playing his first competitive match in over a month, found it difficult in New Zealand’s conditions, returning wicketless in his spell.
Gambhir defended the team composition choices, stating, “We thought that a wristspinner would be more useful. So, whatever we felt was the right combination, we went ahead with that.” Regarding Kuldeep’s form, Gambhir added, “When you are playing international cricket, you should try and be in that rhythm most of the time. Whatever opportunities you get, you should try and make the most of it.”
As the series approaches its conclusion, India must address these batting challenges and adapt quickly if they’re to find success, not just in this tour, but also looking ahead to the more challenging pitches of the World Cup.
