Stating that he doesn't remember any of his own knocks, India head coach Gautam Gambhir said he wanted the players to "make their own history" instead of following someone from the past. And the defiant, match-saving knocks from captain Shubman Gill, opener KL Rahul and then all-rounders Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja in Manchester were a clear step in that direction.
The 188-run partnership between Gill and Rahul kept India's draw hopes alive in the fourth Test against England before Sundar and Jadeja sealed the deal with an unbroken 203-run stand. Though India still trail England 1-2, they go into the Oval Test knowing they can level the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series.
Asked whether he gave a motivational speech to the players after day four and referred to his memorable 137 in Napier back in 2009, Gambhir responded in the negative. "Look, the first thing is that I don't remember any of my knocks, that has become history. I think they should make their own history. Honestly, no one in this team will follow anyone or want to follow. They should make their own history.
"They want to fight for the common man back home. And the important thing is that the way a lot of people had written us off in this Test match, this is the foundation of this team.
"These are characters who are sitting in this dressing room, wanting to fight for the country and they will continue to do that," the head coach said at the post-match press conference at Old Trafford.
Snatching a draw from the jaws of defeat would give India a psychological advantage over the hosts in the fifth and final Test, felt Gambhir. "It will. Because when you see, when you're put under the pressure, when you're put under the pump and you end up adding five sessions, I think that's a great character. And anything that you do in these conditions, when you're put under pressure and you come out of those pressure moments, it is always a great feeling.
"And it just ends up giving a lot of confidence in the dressing room as well. And I'm sure, I think going into Oval, I think we will be high on confidence, but we can't take anything for granted," he said.
All For Injury Substitutes
Gambhir also batted for the use of injury replacements in Test cricket, in sharp contrast with Ben Stokes, who termed the debate as “ridiculous”. The question on the subject was asked in the light of injury to Rishabh Pant in Manchester, where he batted despite a broken foot. However, he was in no position to keep wickets and Dhruv Jurel stood behind the stumps to cover for Pant.
“Absolutely, I'm all for it, if the umpires and the match referee sees and feels that there's a major injury. It's very important to have this rule, where you can get a substitute. That is, if it's very visible, there's nothing wrong in doing that. Especially in a series like this, where it's been such a closely fought series, in the previous 3 Test matches," Gambhir said.
“Imagine if we would have had to play with 10 people, 10 men against 11. How unfortunate would this be for us,” he added.
On Handshake Controversy
Gambhir also radically differed with Stokes on the final half-hour drama, where India initially declined the England captain's offer of a handshake. "If someone is batting on 90 and the other one is batting on 85, don't they deserve a hundred? Would they have walked off if someone from England's side would have been batting on 90 or 85? ,” Gambhir asked.
“If someone has the opportunity to get his first Test hundred, won't you allow him to do it? They weathered the storm. It's up to them.
"If they (England) want to play that way, that's up to them. I've got nothing more to say. I think both those guys deserved a hundred, and fortunately they got it."
'Generations Will Talk About Pant's Courage'
Gambhir lavished praise on India vice-captain Pant. "Any amount of praise is not enough for him, especially batting with a broken foot. Not many people have done that in the past. And he had put his hand up, and that is why I say any amount of praise...
"I can sit here and talk about this for hours and hours. I think the generations to come forward will talk about this. And generations coming forward should talk about it, that there is someone who has batted with a broken foot. And it's unfortunate because of the kind of form he was in.
"But again, he's an important member of the Test side. And I hope he recovers quickly and comes back quickly and try and deliver a game for us."
All Pacers Fit For Oval Test
Gambhir also gave a key update on the fitness of the seam bowlers, who have had to deal with heavy workload and injuries over the course of the five-match series, which is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Having mentioned earlier that Jasprit Bumrah would be playing only three Tests due to workload management, Gambhir said no call is taken yet on his participation at The Oval.
For the record, the Manchester Test was Bumrah's third of the tour but with the series still on the line, he might just play in London. "All the fast bowlers are there. There is no injury scare," Gambhir said.
(With PTI inputs)
