The recent performance of Team India has drawn criticism directed at Gautam Gambhir.
England coach Brendon McCullum, who is credited with popularizing the ultra-aggressive ‘Bazball’ style of batting, plans to “play very watchful style of cricket” in the short overs series against Gautam Gambhir’s India. Although McCullum has received a lot of credit for transforming red-ball cricket in England, his teammate Gambhir has been under fire recently due to a string of unsatisfactory performances. McCullum, who has previously worked with Gambhir, continues to hold him in the highest regard as a “leader,” despite the current results telling a different tale.
“I will add that Gautam Gambhir is an exceptional leader since I have worked with him in the past. Prior to the first Twenty20 International, McCullum stated, “He’s a really strong leader of men and in the time that he’s had in any sort of leadership positions which he’s held previously, he’s been able to excel I’m sure.”
“He’s only just sort of got underway with this team but there’s no doubt that he’ll be the best out of the talent that he’s got and we’ve got to find a way to be able to counter that with our style,” McCullum said.
McCullum, who has been coaching the Test squad with great success since May 2022, will be playing white-ball cricket for the first time with the Indians.
“I know it’s going to be a tough tour, taking on a very good Indian side, but I’m sure we’ll play what I hope is a very watchful style of cricket,” McCullum told the press.
The opening of the five-match T20I series kicks off the tour on Wednesday at Eden Gardens. Three one-day internationals will follow.In fact, it’s fantastic. I think that’s incredibly exciting. We’ve known this was going to happen for a few months, of course, and it’s been fantastic.” Both nations view the ODI series as a practice run for the forthcoming ICC Champions Trophy, which will begin on February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
“We’ll use the next few weeks to try and hit the ground running, I’m sure there will be some times where we don’t quite get it right,” he stated.”But, hopefully, we will chisel away at that over the next few weeks, and we’ll be in good shape come that Champions Trophy.” The 43-year-old was appointed England’s white-ball coach in September, succeeding Matthew Mott, and he will now oversee both the Test and limited-overs teams.England will play three ODIs and five T20Is in India.
Despite England’s proclivity for power hitting, McCullum underlined the need of reacting to the situation and making the most of their resources.
“You’re not going to win every game we play, right? We’re tremendously competitive and want to succeed, yet our dressing room chats differ. It’s about getting the most out of the talent we have, bringing the team together, and finding the perfect complementing skills.” He admitted that the team have all of the characteristics for success in India.”We have a batting lineup as strong as any in the world. We have gun spinners, elite fielders, and men who can bowl like rockets with the ball. It’s about leveraging those qualities to amuse and maximize our opportunities.”
