India coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday backed “incredibly tough men” Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to prove their critics wrong and find form in Australia.
Skipper Rohit and superstar batsman Kohli came under fire after India crashed to a humiliating 3-0 Test series home defeat to New Zealand.
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Rohit scored 91 runs in three matches. Kohli made just 93.
Speaking just before India flew off to Australia for a blockbuster five-match Test series, Gambhir said he had “no concerns for Virat and Rohit”.
“They are incredibly tough men,” he said.
“They’ve achieved a lot for Indian cricket and they will continue to achieve a lot in the future as well.”
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Gambhir hit out at Ricky Ponting after the former Australia captain questioned the longer-term form of the two senior batsmen.
“What does Ponting have to do with Indian cricket?” Gambhir said.
Gambhir said the Indian team as a whole were eager to prove themselves after the New Zealand defeat, only their second Test series whitewash at home.
“I feel there is a lot of hunger, especially after what has happened in the last series,” he said.
Gambhir believes the biggest challenge in Australia will be the quicker pitches compared to India, where conditions are traditionally spin-friendly.
But Gambhir said his under-the-cosh side were ready to “fire from ball one” in a series that starts in Perth on November 22.
“We’ve been to Australia many times, so that experience will be crucial,” said the coach, who has also faced some flak.
“If we play to our potential, we play our best cricket, we can beat anyone on any wicket.”
With Australia looming large, the form of 37-year-old Rohit and superstar batsman Kohli, 35, is of particular concern to Indian cricket fans.
Rohit made 91 runs in three matches. Kohli just 93.
“The cold fact is that this is now a team in transition with key figures ageing, out of form and low on confidence,” the Times of India newspaper wrote.
“Two of their stalwarts, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, seem to be in a state of terminal batting decline with a strange reluctance to acknowledge it and take corrective action like polishing their game by playing in domestic cricket,” it added.
Indian media reported that all senior players, including Rohit and Kohli, had been advised to play the domestic Duleep Trophy four-day matches, but the players refused due to a “lack of motivation”.
“They should have had some practice, definitely,” former India captain Sunil Gavaskar told the Indian Express.
“I know we beat Bangladesh and therefore it looked as if it was going to be a cakewalk against New Zealand,” Gavaskar added.
“But New Zealand, obviously, had a better attack, with cricketers who have played in India and in the IPL, who have a sense of what Indian pitches do.”
Rohit and Kohli retired from T20 cricket after the team’s World Cup triumph in June.
Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, 38, and Ravindra Jadeja, 35, also suddenly look like age is catching up with them, critics said.