We can push our limits: Gautam Gambhir’s blunt message to Team India ahead of Sri Lanka series
New Delhi: Team India head coach gave his players a pep talk during the team’s first training session in Colombo ahead of their upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka. Gambhir urged the players to plan and prepare for everything that might come their way, while leaving nothing to chance.
enjoyed their first training session at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo, where they are set to lock horns with Sri Lanka XI in a warm-up match, starting Friday, August 07. Gambhir wants every player to push themselves to the limit during the preparations.
“We know what is in front of us. We can do volume, we can push our limits, we can tick all the boxes and come 15th morning, whether we are batting first or bowling first, we will be absolutely ready with every answer to every question thrown at us,” Gambhir told his players in a video shared by the BCCI.
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Indian players have struggled against spin in home Tests over the last couple of years and the visitors will be tested in Sri Lankan conditions. The three-day practice match is crucial for India, as the batters will have a chance to adapt to the conditions and prepare for the spin challenge.
The likes of KL Rahul, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal had already started preparing against spin at home before leaving for Sri Lanka and will be hoping to further hone their skills against the turners in practice and in the warm-up game to be adequately prepared for the two-match series.
A new-look India in Sri Lanka
It is a fairly new-look India that will take the field in the upcoming Test series in Sri Lanka as the majority of the squad will be playing for the first time in the country. KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav are the only three players from the current squad who were part of the team when India last toured Sri Lanka for a Test series in 2017.
India will also be without senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been ruled out of the series due to a knee issue. In his absence, the selectors have handed a maiden Test call-up to Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi after his strong performances in the domestic circuit. With no Bumrah in the side, Mohammed Siraj will spearhead India’s pace attack in the Test series.
Siraj will lead the pace attack consisting of Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar and Nabi. Meanwhile, Kuldeep will lead the spin attack, which consists of Ravindra Jadeja, Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain.