India getting bowled out for 89 against New Zealand in the fourth ODI here has left head coach Gautam Gambhir concerned as the collapse is not one off and happened in conditions that are similar to what the team will encounter during next year’s World Cup in South Africa.
After India suffered a crushing 244-run loss to New Zealand here on Friday, Gambhir admitted that the manner and speed of the batting collapse, rather than the low total, was a worry ahead of the global event.
“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.
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 that India needed to be more decisive against the lengths employed by New Zealand pacers Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson, particularly the 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.
Defending the inexperienced Indian pace attack, Gambhir said the team had plenty to learn from playing in unfamiliar conditions but backed the young bowlers.
“I feel proud of everyone. Good days will pass, bad days will pass as well. There will be days like this, because this is what you learn from. Because the amount of inexperience you have in bowling attacks, it can be difficult as a captain and as a support staff as well. Because you’re actually learning on the job.
“It’s not like you’ve come into international cricket with no experience at all. So when you have so much inexperience, and when you come into alien conditions, but the way you’ve played in this one-day series, I think not only me, I think all of us should be proud of that.
He also explained the decision to play a wrist-spinner instead of Mohammed Siraj, saying the team felt a tweaker would be more useful on the bigger ground and provide an attacking option in the middle overs.
On the batting combination, Gambhir said India were trying to maintain continuity while giving players opportunities in different positions, adding that Ruturaj Gaikwad was preferred at the top because of his greater experience as an opener compared to Ishan Kishan.
Despite the heavy defeat, Gambhir backed the team to recover in the series decider, saying the players had enough experience and quality to bounce back.
“I’m sure the guys will turn up. It’s important that they’re hurting. I always believe that people should be hurting in the dressing room when you have this kind of a performance. If you’re hurting, then obviously we can come back really strong,” he said.
Published – November 14, 2026 02:14 am IST
