After India's five-wicket defeat against England in the first Test at Headingley, the head coach Gautam Gambhir stood up for his inexperienced and young bowling attack, asking the critics not to judge too hastily.
India's pace attack, without the experience of veteran pacers like Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, looked vulnerable—particularly in the second innings when England ran down 371 with ease.
Jasprit Bumrah was the pick among them, taking five wickets in the first innings, but the rest of the pace attack was unable to exert a lasting impact.
Speaking after the match at the press conference on Tuesday, Gambhir accepted the teething problems in the bowling unit but demanded some perspective. "This pace attack features one bowler with four Tests (Prasidh Krishna), another with only two (Harshit Rana), and one who had yet to make his debut prior to this match (Arshdeep Singh)," he stated. "In ODIs, you can conceal lack of experience, but not in England or Australia.". It's like dropping them in the deep end. Not judging them after each game helps. We have to let them grow.
He pointed out that without exception of Bumrah and Siraj, India's pace strength is poor in experience but abundant in potential. "They need help. The talent is there. It's just a matter of supporting them during difficult times," Gambhir said.
Gambhir named Prasidh Krishna out for commendation even though he had given away runs. "He took five wickets in the match. He possesses all the qualities to be an excellent Test bowler," he mentioned.
Shardul Thakur's limited employment—only 16 overs in both innings—was also noteworthy. Gambhir justified the choice, laying it down to tactical decisions taken by the captain in light of pitch conditions. "Some captains act on gut feel. In the first innings, Jadeja provided us with the control we wanted and gave us an opportunity to rotate our pacers at the other end," he rationalized. "We know what Shardul is capable of, and that is why he's included in the playing XI."
Batting-wise, Gambhir praised captain Shubman Gill's first-innings century as "phenomenal" and is confident that he has the potential to be a good leader. "He is still learning, and he has got to learn to develop himself into this guy," the coach said.
However, Gambhir made it clear that in his eyes, no defeat should be normalized. “Every loss hurts—whether it’s an experienced team or a young one. We’re representing 140 crore Indians. Youth is not an excuse.”
India will now look to regroup and reassess ahead of the second Test, with their bowling attack and fielding sharpness likely to be areas of focus.
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