India very optimistic about qualifying for Test Championship final: Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir said India remain confident of reaching the World Test Championship final despite a difficult start to the cycle. He said the young side's belief, continuity and upcoming Tests will shape the qualification push.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir has expressed confidence that India will push for a spot in the World Test Championship final despite a difficult start to the ongoing cycle. Speaking to the press on the eve of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh, Gambhir said there is immense belief within the dressing room that the team can go on and win the title.
India failed to qualify for the World Test Championship final for the first time in three editions last year. A 1-3 defeat in Australia, preceded by an unprecedented home whitewash against New Zealand in 2024, knocked them out of the race. In the new cycle, India drew 2-2 in England, with Gambhir overseeing a transition period following the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin from Test cricket. However, they were stunned by a visiting South African side, who claimed a 2-0 series victory last year.
"Very optimistic. We are always optimistic. Till you have the chance to qualify for the final, we are always optimistic. We know the kind of talent we have. I don't think there is any reason not to believe that we can't win the World Test Championship. That is not just me, but everyone in the dressing room believes. We can have one-odd bad series here and there, but we know the kind of talent and how much hunger we have in the dressing room," Gambhir said.
India have won only four of their nine Tests in the ongoing cycle and are languishing in sixth place in the WTC table. They face a challenging run ahead, beginning with a two-Test series in Sri Lanka in August before travelling to New Zealand for another two-Test series in November. The race to the final is set to intensify when India host Australia in a much-anticipated five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in January and February next year.
India's upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan will not be part of the World Test Championship cycle, but Gambhir stressed that the team would field a full-strength side to ensure continuity.
"Again, a Test match is a Test match. I know people can say this is not part of the World Test Championship cycle, but for me it's still a Test match that we need to go out and win for the country," he said.
"You don't differentiate between Test matches, whether they're part of the World Test Championship or not. That's one of the reasons why we're going to try and play our full-strength side even in this Test match."
India will be led by Shubman Gill, while KL Rahul will serve as vice-captain for the one-off assignment. Senior players, including Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, have been rested. Mohammed Siraj is likely to spearhead the pace attack, while India have included Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey as spin options alongside Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar.
On Friday, Gambhir all but confirmed that Sai Sudharsan would continue to bat at No. 3, even though the selectors picked the in-form Devdutt Padikkal in the 15-man squad that has been training in New Chandigarh over the past few days.
INDIA STILL IN TRANSITION PERIOD?
Meanwhile, Gambhir highlighted that the team remains in a transition phase and insisted that issues surrounding player availability, whether due to injuries or workload management, would not derail India's push for a place in the World Test Championship final.
"It's been only nine Test matches," he said, highlighting that only half of the ongoing cycle has been completed.
"We were brilliant in England and then we won against West Indies. So when people talk about transition, the actual transition happened after England.
"If after nine Test matches people feel it's been a long road, I don't agree with that. We all know how well this young team played in England. Then we won against the West Indies. We had two Test matches against South Africa, and yes, that hurt.
"But that's what transition is going to be like. The consistency may not always be there because these are young boys. Most of them have played fewer than 30 Test matches, which is still not a lot of experience.
"For me, I don't look at it negatively. Even if we haven't always had our first-choice XI, I think we've got enough talent to turn it around.
"I'm very hopeful that we will give ourselves the best possible chance of winning the World Test Championship."
The one-off Test will get underway at 9:30 am IST, with the toss scheduled for 9 am