Gautam Gambhir concerned about India's batting collapses ahead of World Cup
India coach Gautam Gambhir voiced concern after India were bowled out for 89 in 26.4 overs against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir said he was concerned by batting collapses after a 244-run loss to New Zealand. The Hindu reported that India were bowled out for 89 in conditions similar to those expected at next year's World Cup in South Africa.
Key takeaways
- India were bowled out for 89 in 26.4 overs against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui.
- The Hindu reported Gambhir said the manner and speed of the collapse, rather than the low total, was the worry.
- India lost the fourth ODI by 244 runs after New Zealand made 333 in 50 overs.
- Gambhir said conditions in New Zealand are closest to what India may face at the World Cup in South Africa.
- India lead the five-match series 2-1, according to CNBC-TV18.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir said he was concerned by his side's batting collapses after they were bowled out for 89 in a 244-run loss to New Zealand in the fourth one-day international on Friday in Mount Maunganui.
Gambhir said the collapse is not one off and happened in conditions similar to what India will encounter during next year's World Cup in South Africa. 4 overs. "You're always concerned when you get bundled out for 90-odd. Why won't I be concerned?
These are conditions which are going to be closest to what we might get during the World Cup," Gambhir said at the post-match press conference. "The bigger concern is not the runs. It's how quickly we got bundled out, around 26 or 27 overs.
That is something which is always a concern," he added.
Why it matters
India lead the five-match series 2-1. New Zealand cannot win the series but can force a drawn outcome by winning Sunday's final ODI at the same venue. The third match was abandoned because of rain.
India had also struggled in the previous match, slipping to 111 for seven while chasing 135 in a rain-curtailed match, prompting Gambhir to underline the need for both technical and mental preparedness against the moving ball.
He said the first 10 overs in New Zealand are particularly challenging, unlike in India where the initial phase is generally the easiest period for batting. "If you get 35 or 40 in the first 10 overs without losing a wicket, that is also good enough.
Here, it's probably the most difficult time," he said.
Gambhir also said India needed to be more decisive against the lengths employed by New Zealand pacers Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson, particularly deliveries that left batters caught in two minds between going forward and playing off the back foot.
"I thought, more than the wobble seam, it's the areas that have probably created problems for us. It was that length where you couldn't go forward, you couldn't go back. It was that half-half length," he said.
Praising Henry's approach, Gambhir said the New Zealand pacer consistently attacked the stumps and challenged both edges of the bat, something the Indian bowling unit could learn from. "He got Rohit in the slips and then got Virat and Shreyas beaten on the inside edge.
That is something we need to learn, how consistently we can hit the stumps and keep hitting those pads as well," he said.
Gambhir also acknowledged that dropped catches proved costly, particularly the opportunities given to New Zealand centurion Will Young, who went on to make 125. "He got those two chances and made the most of it.
Things could have been a lot different, but there's always hindsight to what you do. We dropped catches, no one else did. So we had to pay for it," he said.
What happens next
New Zealand can force a drawn outcome by winning Sunday's final ODI at the same venue.
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