Play domestic cricket if you have Test aspirations: Gambhir to Indian players

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir heavily criticised players for ignoring domestic cricket, saying that those who desire great results in Test cricket will not be able to achieve that by skipping red-ball domestic cricket. 

“I would always like everyone to play domestic cricket. That is how much importance domestic cricket needs to be given,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference after India lost the fifth and final Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 in Sydney on January 5 (Sunday). 

“Not only one game, if they are available and committed to play red-ball cricket, everyone should play domestic cricket. If you don't give importance to domestic cricket, you'll never get desired results in Test cricket,” added the 43-year-old. 

Out of the nine innings that India batted in, they were bowled out for less than 200 six times, a record low for any Indian visiting side on Australian soil. Gambhir did not brush it aside as a one-off or blame the issue on the pitches but addressed what’s lacking in Indian batting’s mindset and approach towards the game. 

“Not a lot of players are playing in Australia for the first time. Only two of them are in the top eight i.e. Nitish and Yashasvi. I’m not gonna say it is only because of the young guys, but there are a lot of experienced players as well. 

"A bit could be because of wickets, but it happened in India too. Everything boils down to temperament. How much do you want to play those tough moments, how much do you want to grind in Test cricket and then it is all about playing sessions in the longest format. That is one issue where we need to work on,” he said.

Given the Ranji Trophy is set to resume on January 23, after a two-month hiatus, it will be interesting to see if the Indian senior players turn up for their respective states, particularly on the backdrop of the head coach's comments.