Can India Pull Off Gambhirs Impossible Task From the NZ Series?
The words of Gautam Gambhir during the India vs New Zealand Test series in 2024 are being remembered. He said that the team holds batsmen who can bat for two days to end the game in a draw. And now, India enters the final day against South Africa, having a massive target in front of them.
The words of Gautam Gambhir during the India vs New Zealand Test series in 2024 are being remembered. He said that the team holds batsmen who can bat for two days to end the game in a draw. And now, India enters the final day against South Africa, having a massive target in front of them.
The South Africa tour of India would be the one which fans would like to forget in the Test format. India had already started off with a loss in this series, as they lost the first game by 30 runs. Now, their main objective was to win the second match and prevent a whitewash, but that
India is now targeting to have a draw in the second match, as the game enters the final day. With South Africa posting a massive target of 549, fans wonder how far India will be able to take the game to their favour. At this moment, the words of Gautam Gambhir which he said during the series against New Zealand have also resurfaced on the internet.
1. Gautam Gambhir's Statement
It should be noted that the Indian team has never been the same in the Test format since the series against New Zealand. The team suffered a whitewash at their home for a long time, and has not managed to do well in this format. This momentum also continues as the Indian team faces South Africa in the two-match Test series, as they have already lost the first game.
Before the series between India and New Zealand had started, Gautam Gambhir was present in a Press Conference. There, he talked about the versatile nature of the Indian cricket team, noting how they have won the game against Bangladesh at Kanpur. He said that the team has batters who can bat for two days and end the game with a draw, and batters who could by smashing boundaries.
Gambhir said,“We want to be that team that can score 400 runs in a day, and also bat for two days for a draw. That's called growth, you call that adaptability, and that is Test cricket. If you keep playing in the same way, then that is not growth.”These statements were given by Gambhir before the first Test match against New Zealand in Bengaluru.
He further continued , “If we are ever in a situation, where if we need to bat 2 days for a draw, we have the individuals in the dressing room, who can bat those 2 days. Ultimately, the first motive is to win the match, and the second or the last option is to look for a draw.”
These words were even remembered by the commentators during the second Test between India and South Africa. Anil Kumble reacted to the words which were earlier said by Gautam Gambhir, saying that now it is the time for the Indian team to walk the talk, or do what they had said earlier. It is a now or never situation for the Indian team and Gautam Gambhir both.
2. India's Problematic Situation in 2nd Test
India had already started up by losing the first Test match against South Africa. The only way they could have prevented the series loss against them was by winning the second Test match at Guwahati. But India has failed down miserably to even stand a chance to win this game as they enter of the game.
India did not start the game well, as South Africa had the upper hand from the start. They managed to score 489 runs in the first innings of the game, and bowled out India for just 201 runs. This had put down some pressure on the Indian team, but South Africa decided to add more to the wounds by in this game.
The team ended up scoring 260 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, before declaring their innings. In the chase, India stood at the score of 27/2, losing the wickets of Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul. Now, it is time for the Indian team to bat one more day in the second Test and make this game end in a draw. This would help to prevent yet another whitewash for the Indian team.
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