"When India Lose, They Panic": Shubman Gill, Gautam Gambhir Sent Big Message For 4th Test
India lost the third Test at Lord's by 22 runs to England. As a result, they trail 1-2 in the five-match series.
- Mohammad Kaif has made a bold claim. "One thing I've noticed - when India lose, they panic," he said
- He explained his observation by saying that India make a lot of changes in Playing XI when they lose a game
- "When they win, they stick with the same XI," said Mohammad Kaif
Ahead of the India vs England 4th Test in Manchester, Mohammad Kaif has shared a piece of advice for the visitors. He has requested India captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir to keep backing Karun Nair despite the player's poor returns. The right-handed batter, who made a comeback for India after eight years, has scored 0, 20, 31, 26, 40 and 14 in the first three games of the ongoing five-match Test series in England. All in all, Nair has failed to live up to the expectations of the team. While advising India, Kaif also claimed that the team panics whenever it loses a game.
"One thing I've noticed - when India lose, they panic. When they win, they stick with the same XI. After losing the first Test, they made 2-3 changes. But after winning in Birmingham, only (Jasprit) Bumrah came in - no other changes. That's been the pattern," Kaif told IANS.
"Even after losing the third Test, I believe they should back the same team going into Manchester. Karun Nair has been getting starts - 30s and 40s - but not converting. Still, he deserves another opportunity. This is a test for both Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir. After a close loss, will they panic and make changes? Or will they trust the players?" he added.
India lost the opening Test to England by 5 wickets. The Shubman Gill-led side then went on to win the second game by 336 runs. The third Test was a neck-and-neck contest which the Ben Stokes and Co. won by a narrow margin of 22 runs.
"India dominated for 12-13 out of the last 15 days. They played solid cricket - both with the bat and the ball. When this team landed in England, most people predicted a 0-4 or 1-4 defeat, but they've surprised everyone," said Kaif.
"Without Kohli, Rohit, Shami, and Ashwin, this young team stood up and delivered. They lost two close matches - Headingley was in India's grasp, and so was the final Test while chasing 193. Shubman Gill has led from the front - as captain and as a batsman. There were doubts about his ability to perform in English conditions, but he answered with the bat. With a bit of luck, India could've won all three Tests," he added.
India Cricket Team
England Cricket Team
Karun Nair
Gautam Gambhir