Gautam Gambhir defends young Indian players, asks them not to be like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has on Monday (November 11) hailed the rise of young talents in Indian cricket before departing for Australia for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, starting on November 22.

The upcoming five-match Test series between Australia and India will get underway at the Optus Stadium in Perth from November 22. Ahead of the Perth Test, Gambhir has strongly slammed the initial criticism over selections like Washington Sundar for the recent Test series against New Zealand.

Gautam Gambhir backs young stars like Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, and Nitish Kumar Reddy for Team India's future

However, the Indian cricket team lost the home Test series, but Washington Sundar was fabulous in the last two Test matches, scoring 89 runs and finishing as the joint highest wicket taker along with Ravindra Jadeja with 16 wickets.

Speaking to media in Mumbai before leaving for Australia, Gautam Gambhir has pointed out how the youngsters are proving their worth on the big stage, while highlighting Washington Sundar’s solid performance against New Zealand and Dhruv Jurel’s impressive batting show against Australia A.

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Overwhelmed by the young players’ brilliance, Team India head coach believes that this new generation is not only stepping up but also paving the way for the bright future of Indian cricket. Gambhir didn’t stop there, shifting the spotlight on the young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.

It’s good for Indian cricket that the next generation of players is stepping up: Gambhir

Nitish Kumar Reddy has also been named in India’s Test squad for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-15 in Australia, and Gambhir believes that the young sensation has immense potential and could be a superstar in the future.

The head coach made it clear that the selection strategy of Team India is all about selecting the best team, regardless of outside opinions or doubts, and he will always back the youngsters.

Gautam Gambhir said at the press conference: “Everyone, you guys were criticizing when we picked him (Washington Sundar). He played well against New Zealand. Jurel was also great. It’s good for Indian cricket that the next generation of players is stepping up. Great to see some of the young players coming through. Nitish Kumar Reddy has potential and is one for the future, for sure. We have picked out the best players.”

Gautam Gambhir stresses team unity over personal milestones for Indian cricket's success

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Furthermore, the Team India head coach has firmly reinforced his philosophy of putting the team ahead of personal achievements and everything. Stressing the importance of team unity, Gambhir has emphasized that cricket is a team game and Indian cricket’s success depends on prioritizing collective goals over personal milestones.

Gambhir made it clear that Team India will follow the philosophy of putting the collective goals ahead of individual glory, and that will drive India forward. He believes that the team-first approach will make all the difference in maintaining the Indian cricket's supremacy in the world.

He signed off by saying, “The only chat I’ve had is to keep Indian cricket ahead of anything else. Team ahead of personal milestones. Team sports is all about that. We’ll keep having the same conversation. The smallest of things will make a huge difference. You’ll have to be boring at times. When you start thinking of team ahead, everything else takes a backseat.”