With nine days to go for the first India vs Sri Lanka Test, head coach Gautam Gambhir got the squad together to welcome the three new entries in the Indian team. 33-year-old Saransh Jain earned his maiden India call-up before Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi replaced the injured Jasprit Bumrah. Gambhir congratulated the duo on their hard work that’s gotten them here, but at the same time reminded them that this is just the beginning.
Jain, an all-rounder from Madhya Pradesh, will join a spin-attack comprising Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Manav Suthar, with spin being crucial to the team’s plans in Sri Lanka. Jain’s rise wasn’t mercurial but a reward for spending years in domestic cricket building his reputation. When Washington Sundar got injured, the fact that Jain registered match figures of 6/158 and scored 70 for India A against Sri Lanka A made the selectors’ job easier.
‘Make sure you make your contry proud’
“Welcome, everyone. We’ve got a couple of new guys in. Saransh, congratulations. You’ve worked extremely hard to be here. Make sure that you make your family and country proud, whenever you get that opportunity,” Gambhir said, followed by applause from the rest of the squad members.
And then there’s Nabi. Grabbing 60 wickets in the recent Ranji Trophy season and finishing as the highest wicket-taker, Nabi’s initial omission raised a lot of eyebrows. However, with Bumrah ruled out, luck shone bright on Nabi.
“And secondly, I want to congratulate Auqib. You’ve had a phenomenal last season, made J&K win Ranji Trophy, which is a great achievement. Congratulations once again,” added Gambhir.
Welcome, Subhadeep Ghosh
Barring Jain and Nabi, a new face also graced the Indian support staff, as 57-year-old Subhadeep Ghosh replaced T Dilip as the fielding coach. The belief is that India’s fielding standards have fallen considerably, and Ghosh’s addition is expected to turn the tables.
“I want to welcome Joy as well. He’s worked with so many teams for so many years. I’m sure his passion, commitment will carry this team forward and make sure that his energy levels will help everyone achieve the target which we want to achieve,” added Gambhir.
The big picture
Finally, Gambhir was quick to remind everyone of the challenge that awaited the team. Currently ranked 7th on the World Test Championship points table, India have nine Tests remaining, and with each of them believed to be extremely crucial, the head coach laid down the marker.
“Lastly, guys, we know what’s in front of us. We know what we are playing for. We can do the volume, push our limits, and tick all the boxes. Come the 15th morning, whether we are batting first or bowling first, we are absolutely ready with all the answers for every question that’s thrown at us,” he said.
