Gautam Gambhir, the Indian team head coach, has congratulated Bangladesh for their historic Test series win over Pakistan. However, in the same breadth, Gambhir also sounded a warning for Bangladesh that playing India is a different game altogether.
India is set to play Bangladesh in a series of two Tests. The first Test will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from September 19 onwards. The second Test will then be played at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur from September 27 onwards.
Gautam Gambhir attended a pre-match presser on September 18, 2024, and congratulated Pakistan on their historic achievement of defeating Pakistan in the Test series for the first time.
Bangladesh is coming off a historic Test series win over Pakistan. The Najmul Hossain Shanto-led team won their first Test at the series opener. They went on to win the second and final Test match, completing a 2-0 sweep of Pakistan.
Gambhir, while acknowledging Bangladesh’s achievement, highlighted that the upcoming series is a fresh challenge. He added that Bangladesh has experienced players like Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
“Congratulate them for what they did in Pakistan. But this is a new series and they are a quality side and we want to play good cricket. Yes, they have experience in Shakib, Mushfiqur, and Mehidy but we want to be switched on from ball 1,” Gambhir was quoted by Express Sports.
To compete with India’s formidable bowling attack, Bangladesh’s national cricket squad would need to play admirably with the bat. Mushfiqur Rahim, a veteran batter, has a remarkable Test average of 55.16 in India. Rahim will be critical to Bangladesh’s triumph.
We Don’t Fear Anyone Be We Respect Everyone – Gautam Gambhir
At the pre-match press conference in Chennai on Wednesday, Gautam Gambhir remarked that the Indian squad respects all opponents, including Bangladesh, but does not fear any of them. He underlined that India focuses on playing its own game rather than looking at the competition.
“I have been a big believer that we don’t fear anyone but we respect everyone. It is the same with Bangladesh. We don’t look at the opposition and play the game we know,” Gautam Gambhir said.
The Indian team presently leads the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 standings. Team India had six victories out of nine matches in the current WTC season. The host team hopes to maintain their supremacy with a win in the Test series against Bangladesh.
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