Virat Kohli's form a concern? Gautam Gambhir shares 'very clear' views on 'world-class cricketer'

India National Cricket Team head coach Gautam Gambhir has backed Virat Kohli to come out good in the upcoming three-match Test series against New Zealand. He said that the batter will be hungry to get runs, and once he is among the runs, he will be very consistent.

India National Cricket Team are all set to lock horns with New Zealand National Cricket Team in the three-match Test series. The first game will be played from Wednesday (16th October) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, and the series will be part of the ICC World Test Championship as well.

One of the key players for India going into the series will be Virat Kohli. The premier batter hasn't been at his best in Test cricket for a while now. Therefore, the three games will be an opportunity for him to get some runs under his belt and head into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on high.

Virat Kohli failed to get going in the two-match Test series against the Bangladesh National Cricket Team. He registered scores of 6, 17, 47, and 29 not out across four innings. He has played only three Tests in 2024 and is yet to get a fifty-plus score. He would be keen to get some runs.

He is a world-class cricketer. He has performed for such a long time - Gautam Gambhir on Virat Kohli

Gautam Gambhir backed Virat Kohli ahead of the Test series, saying that the batter has performed for such a long time and has the same hunger as he had during his debut game. He said that the batter is looking forward to the upcoming games. Speaking to reporters, he explained:

"See, my thoughts about Virat have always been very clear. He is a world-class cricketer. He has performed for such a long time. He is as hungry as when he made his debut. I remember opening the batting with him when he made his debut in Sri Lanka to now, his hunger is always there.

"That’s what makes him a world-class cricketer. I am sure he will be hungry to get runs in this series, and probably moving forward to Australia as well. Once he gets into the run-scoring form, how consistent he can be. He will be looking forward to these three Tests and the series in Australia,"

See, you don't keep judging people after every game - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir said that they are focused on backing players and giving them the space and confidence to wriggle out of lean patches and perform to the best of their ability. He feels that judging players after every game is not fair. He added:

"See, you don't keep judging people after every game. If you keep judging people after every game, that's not fair to them. It's a sport. People are meant to fail. More importantly, if people can get the results, if they are doing what is needed of them to get the results in our favour, that's fine.

"There will be times when some people will succeed and some people will fail. If we keep judging our players after every innings, imagine how unfair that would be. It will be very hard."

My job is to back our players, my job is to keep the best playing XI and not drop anyone - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir also said that everyone on the team is aware that there are 8 Tests in a row and his job is to back players.

"The kind of vibe we have, we will keep backing our players. My job is to back our players, my job is to keep the best playing XI and not drop anyone. Everyone is hungry. Everyone is aware that there are 8 Tests in a row and this is probably the start of looking at 8 Tests in a row," Gautam Gambhir concluded.