Gautam Gambhir takes strict disciplinary action against Virat Kohli-Rohit Sharma after Pune Test

The Indian team management, led by the head coach Gautam Gambhir, has made the training compulsory ahead of the third Test between India and New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Earlier, the Gautam Gambhir led-team management used to have optional training sessions for the players and it was the particular player's decision to attend the session or not. However, India's defeat to New Zealand at Pune seems to have prompted the team management to go the hard route.

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Gautam Gambhir makes training compulsory for Indian players

According to a report in The Indian Express, the team management, led by Gautam Gambhir, has asked all the players in the squad to be available for the training session ahead of the third Test match in Mumbai.

As a result, there will be no 'optional' training session in Mumbai ahead of the match and all the 16 players of the squad will be attending the two sessions of match practice. The news was confirmed by a source who revealed this information to The Indian Express.

“The team management has asked the players to be present for two days of practice on October 30 and 31. It’s compulsory, and no one can skip it,” the source said.

The hard decision was taken after the Men in Blue conceded a shocking home series defeat at the hands of New Zealand. India have already lost the first two Tests of the three-match Test series with one more match to go.

New Zealand stun India to win series

The Men in Blue lost the first Test at Bengaluru on a pitch assisting fast bowlers. They were bowled out for a mere 46 in the first innings, which eventually paved the way for the defeat despite a spirited comeback in the second innings.

They were expected to bounce back in the second Test at Pune but New Zealand adapted excellently to the spin-friendly conditions. Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner led the way for the Kiwis as they trounced the home team for the second time in a row. New Zealand won this match by 113 runs.

Batting failure for Team India

Gautam Gambhir has been under fire as India's batting has been a big concern this series. The top-order failure, except Yashasvi Jaiswal, hasn't helped the team's cause. Senior batters like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have had a disappointing time at the crease and are way short of runs.

The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja too have failed to put any significant pressure on New Zealand's batters. The duo is one of the most successful spin bowling pairs ever but have been unable to deliver in this series so far.

India now have an uphill task in hands if they aim to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. They need to win the next Test against New Zealand and then beat Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

As a result, Gautam Gambhir and his coaching staff have decided to arrange a full-fledged training session rather than the optional ones for the Mumbai Test.