New Delhi: Team India will take on New Zealand in the third and final Test of the series at Wankhede Cricket Stadium in Mumbai on November 1, Friday. The Men in Blue have already lost the series and will look to avoid the whitewash. The Blackcaps defeated Rohit and Co. by 8 wickets in the first Test in Bengaluru while Tom Latham and Co. beat Team India by 113 runs in the Pune Test.
The fast bowlers troubled the Indian batters in the first Test while they struggled against spinners in Pune. Rohit and Co. also faced a lot of criticism after losing the second Test. Mitchell Santner picked up 13 wickets in the match and dismissed the likes of Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz, Rohit and Jaiswal. Apart from Washington Sundar, Indian bowlers also failed to take wickets.
‘Mitchell Santner was outstanding in the last game’: Gautam Gambhir
Ahead of the third Test, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has said that he doesn’t think the skill of Indian batters have gone down against spinners. He also praised Mitchell Santner and backed his batters to do well in the last Test match. Gambhir also said that the cricketers are now used to play fast-paced and hard-hitting cricket.
“I don’t think so. Sometimes you have to give it to the opposition as well. Mitchell Santner was outstanding in the last game. But yes, we’ll keep working hard, we’ll keep getting better. Guys are putting in a lot of hard yards in the nets” Gambhir said in the pre-match press conference.
“Ultimately it’s the results that matter when you’re playing international cricket but I don’t think that our skill against spin has actually gone down. It’s about probably keep working hard and keep getting better” he added.
Gambhir also said that the players are used to muscling the ball and have forgotten to use the soft hands. He further added that a complete cricketer know how to play T20 and Test cricket successfully.
