Gautam Gambhir Backs Inexperienced India Pace Attack to Carry ODI Series in New Zealand

India head coach Gautam Gambhir has expressed confidence in the team’s inexperienced bowling attack ahead of the five-match ODI series against New Zealand, stating that the young pacers deserve the bulk of the credit if the visitors succeed on tour.

India will be without the services of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and all-rounder Hardik Pandya for the ODI series, which begins on November 4. In their absence, the responsibility will fall on Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj, and Gurnoor Brar.

Siraj is the most experienced among the available pacers, having played 51 ODIs, while the remaining members of the bowling attack have limited international exposure. Auqib Nabi has featured in just one ODI, Anshul Kamboj has played one match, Gurnoor Brar has nine appearances, and Arshdeep Singh has 18 ODI caps.

Speaking about the challenges posed by the team’s schedule and the absence of experienced players, Gambhir acknowledged that India would be relying on one of their least experienced bowling attacks in recent ODI cricket.

“It’s important for me to win every series. It’s not just about winning in New Zealand. It’s challenging to win every series. Because if you look at it, this will probably be the most inexperienced bowling attack in ODI cricket,” Gambhir said.

“No one will talk about it. But if you look at it, Auqib Nabi has one ODI. Anshul Kamboj, one match. Gurnoor Brar has nine appearances. Only Arshdeep Singh is our most experienced bowler with 18 caps,” he added.

With India also scheduled to play a Test series towards the latter part of the New Zealand tour, managing player workloads and preparing for multiple formats has become a challenge for the team.

However, Gambhir insisted that the young bowling unit should receive recognition if India manage to perform well in the ODI series, pointing out that bowling becomes particularly crucial in overseas conditions.

“Despite that, if we do well in the one-day series, the credit will go to this bowling attack. It will go to these boys. We have experience in batting. We have a lot of experience in batting,” the India head coach said.

“But when you come overseas, your bowlers win the series, especially in one-day and Test cricket. So if we go ahead and do well in one-day cricket, a lot of credit should be given to these bowlers rather than talking too much about the batters,” he added.

Gambhir Helped Abhishek Sharma Make Tactical Adjustments Against Off-Spin

Gambhir also spoke about his work with Abhishek Sharma, who made improvements against New Zealand off-spinner Michael Bracewell during the five-match T20I series.

The India head coach, a former opening batter known for his ability to play spin bowling, spent considerable time working with Abhishek in the nets to help him address his struggles against off-spin.

Gambhir believes that improving against different types of bowlers is essential for a batter to remain effective, especially as opposition teams continue to analyse and identify weaknesses in a player’s game.

“Obviously, Abhishek has struggled a bit with off-spin. The more he gets better at it, obviously, he will become an overall better player. And you want to keep improving yourself because the opposition keeps studying you,” Gambhir said.

“The way you bat, the way you make runs, the speed with which you bat. So if you improve your game, the different areas, if you improve against different bowlers, you will be one step ahead of the opposition,” he added.

Explaining the technical discussions he had with the young opener, Gambhir recalled how Abhishek was initially tied down by Bracewell’s off-spin in the opening match.

“So that’s what I was talking about. Because in the first match, when he was bowling off-spin, obviously, he got a little tied up. It was just a very tactical and technical stuff that we spoke about,” Gambhir said.

India will now look to carry their learnings into the ODI series, with the young bowling attack expected to play a significant role in determining the visitors’ fortunes in New Zealand.

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