Gautam Gambhir: All Indian players assembled for the first time on the England tour, and the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, gave a pep talk to the young Indian brigade ahead of the Test series against England.
Gambhir welcomed the young team and the newly appointed strength and conditioning coach, Adrian le Roux. Gambhir also specially mentioned the debutants, Arshdeep Singh and Sam Sudarshan, and Karun Nair, who made a spectacular comeback in the red-ball format after eight years.
The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video on social media, which featured the entire Indian Test squad and support staff together for the first time in England.
Gautam Gambhir praises Karun Nair
The Indian head coach welcomed Karun Nair and congratulated him for his remarkable return to the Indian Test squad. Nair hasn’t been in contention for a Test call-up since 2017, but his performances in the domestic circuit forced the selectors to consider him for the England tour.
Gambhir lauded Nair’s comeback journey and mentioned his never-give-up attitude. Nair smashed a double century in the first Test match against England Lions and showed the world cricket why he deserves the chance more compared to others.
“Guys, comebacks are never easy. Someone who has made a comeback after seven years, had a phenomenal last year, the amount of runs he got and most importantly the never say die attitude, is something that has got you back into the team. That is something which is inspiring for this entire group. Welcome Karun!” Gautam Gambhir said.
Watch the full video here:
Gautam Gambhir’s pep talk
Gambhir gave a pep talk to all the members of the Indian side and wants his players to show their hunger and passion on the field. Gambhir also added that this is the best opportunity for every player to do something special for the nation.
Players have to come out of their comfort zone and have to showcase the fight in every ball, every hour and every session. Gambhir wants the inexperienced side to make the England tour a memorable one for the fans.