‘It’s hurting, the hurt will make us better’ - Gautam Gambhir after series loss to New Zealand

India lost a Test series at home for the first time since 2012. The batting unit failed to deliver as they were bundled out for 46 runs in the first Test against New Zealand at Chinnaswamy Stadium and in the second, their struggle continued, resulting in a 113-run defeat. Addressing the same, head coach Gautam Gambhir stated that the series defeat is hurting him but he hopes that the players learn from the mistakes and get better in the third Test at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Gambhir also emphasised that the players should feel hurt following a Test defeat, be it playing at home or in away conditions. He believes that the back-to-back losses will ignite the fire in the players and that they will push themselves to do something special like the Rohit Sharma-led side did in Kanpur against Bangladesh.

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“I’m not going to sugarcoat this. Obviously, it’s hurting. And it’s good that it’s hurting because it should hurt. Every time you lose a game, be it at home or be it away from home, it should hurt. That hurt will make us better. Sometimes people say that it should not hurt. But it should hurt,” Gambhir said in the press conference.

“When you’re playing for your country, what’s wrong in being in that position? The more, especially for the youngsters, it’s hurting them, I’m sure they’re going to push themselves to keep getting better. Because that is exactly what we want them to be. Pushing themselves every day to be a better cricketer. And to do something special. Because if we have results like what we had in Kanpur, then we might as well have results like this. And take that hurt and keep moving forward,” he added.

Never expected a very easy run, because international cricket is never easy: Gambhir

Since Gambhir was appointed as the head coach, India lost the ODI series against Sri Lanka and recently, the Test series against the BlackCaps at home. Reflecting upon the same, Gambhir stated that he never expected an easy run in international cricket but wants his players to keep working hard and prepare well for the results to go in their favour.

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“I’ll be honest, I never expected a very easy run, because international cricket is never easy. And I believe that. I know that we lost in Sri Lanka, we’ve lost at home as well against New Zealand. It’s not the great place to be in. But all we can do is be absolutely honest to ourselves, keep working hard, keep working hard with the group and keep preparing them well and keep getting the results. Because ultimately, I think we want to try and win every game that we represent the country in.” Gambhir said.