Boria Majumdar in Leeds
Talks over the last few days had centered around Gautam Gambhir’s return to England and when he would rejoin the team. The Indian team head coach did so late last evening and was extremely hands-on in India’s first practice session at the Headingley cricket ground. Gambhir had to fly back home after his mother was hospitalised.
At the nets, Gambhir spent time monitoring the batters and also had multiple one-on-one conversations with the players. For example, he was seen to be having a close to 15-minute conversation with Shubman Gill. And as I write, he is involved in a long conversation with KL Rahul. In the interim, he has spoken to Shardul Thakur, KL Rahul, Prasidh Krishna and Jasprit Bumrah. Rishabh Pant, for example, had a detailed conversation after he finished his batting stint. If I may add, Gambhir looked much more involved than what I had seen in Australia. Multiple times he walked up to Morne Morkel, the bowling coach, and the two were seen monitoring the bowlers.
For More Exciting Articles: Follow RevSportz
For Gambhir, the stakes are high. He has a lot to prove as coach after a poor start against New Zealand and another series defeat against Australia. And with no Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, he can fashion this team in his own way. In fact, a lot of the boys will look up to him in the dressing room and it is expected to suit his coaching style.
To digress a little from the nets, Headingley is very close to the airport and in the last two hours at least 20 flights have flown over the stadium. Each time a flight passed, one could see some of the boys looking up. It was a kind of unease. What happened in Ahmedabad is still very fresh and that was apparent.
It is now to be seen if Gambhir’s words translate into a top start day after tomorrow. A good start could well set the tone for the rest of the series.
Also Read: India vs England: Does India’s practice session drop a hint on top 4 for Leeds Test?