Gautam Gambhir has sounded the bugle for the Team India players — “come out of our comfort zone” to “have a memorable tour”.
The head coach, known for his straightforward talking, expressed his views about the upcoming Test series in England while speaking to BCCI.tv.
India, with a new Test captain in Shubman Gill and a squad without heavyweights Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, will face a tough challenge in the English conditions.
“There are two ways of looking at this tour. One is we are without our three most experienced players, or (the other is) we have got this phenomenal opportunity to do something special for the country,” Gambhir said.
The former India opener, however, has no doubts about the “passion and the commitment” in his team.
“When I look around in this group, I think I see the hunger, the passion and the commitment to do something special. If we make sacrifices, if we come out of our comfort zone, if we start fighting not every day, but every session, every hour and every ball, I think we can have a memorable tour,” he added.
Gambhir, while welcoming the India squad, made special mentions about the players who are touring England for a Test series for the first time. B. Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh topped that list.
“First Test calls are always special, so I want to welcome Sai, who has had a fabulous three months with the bat.... make sure you have a very very successful red ball career,” he told the left-handed top-order batter.
About left-arm pacer Arshdeep, Gambhir said: “You have been phenomenal with the white ball and I am sure you will make it count with the red ball in your hand.”
Captain Gill, on his part, has urged his teammates to make every practice session count. “Let’s make each and every net session meaningful. Let’s put ourselves under a little pressure.”