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Team India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir addressed the post-match press conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground after the Men in Blue lost the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) by 1-3 margin. After posting 162-run target for the hosts in the fourth innings, Team India failed to defend the total, losing the fifth Test by six wickets.
While Jasprit Bumrah’s absence really proved to big a miss for the visitors, Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and Beau Webster made important contributions with the bat to guide the side to victory. Speaking after the series loss, Gambhir highlighted how participating in domestic cricket could help not just the junior players but also the seniors.
I would always like everyone to play domestic cricket: Gambhir
With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) already mandating players to feature in domestic cricket tournament during their non-playing days in the Indian team, Gambhir further emphasised that point, adding, “I would always like everyone to play domestic cricket. That’s how much importance domestic cricket needs to be given. Not only one game; if they are available and they have the commitment to play red-ball cricket, everyone should play domestic cricket as simply as it can get. If you don’t give importance to domestic cricket, you will never get the players you want in Test cricket.”
Notably, Gambhir’s comments to feature in red-ball cricket comes after several players, including the likes of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were reprimanded for missing domestic cricket tournaments. Notably, ahead of the five-match BGT 2024-25, players like Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan and other were seen playing in Duleep Trophy. However, senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli missed to feature in domestic cricket tournaments despite being named in the probable squad.
