As India prepare for what promises to be a historic battle at the Sydney Cricket Ground, coach Gautam Gambhir outlined the team's core philosophy, having emphasised that the team always 'comes first'
Gautam Gambhir at a Team India practice session (Pic: AFP)
India's first Test match of the New Year starting Friday will be a true test of their resolve, as the team trail 1-2 in the five-match series against arch-rivals Australia. As India prepare for what promises to be a historic battle at the Sydney Cricket Ground, coach Gautam Gambhir outlined the team's core philosophy, having emphasised that the team always 'comes first'.
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"There is only one tendency and there is only one discussion - it's the team-first ideology that matters. You need to play what the team needs. You can still play your natural game in a team sport - but if the team needs you, you need to play in a certain way," he said.
Gambhir also affirmed that the team’s sole focus at the moment is on winning the Sydney Test.
"Every individual knows in which area they need to work. When you play for your country, you want to give your best. I think the debates between a player and a coach should remain between them – conversations should be restricted to the dressing room. Everything is fine with Rohit and we will announce that (Playing XI) tomorrow, after seeing the pitch. We had just one conversation in our dressing room - how we will win the next test, as it is important for us," he added.
The team will face a forced change with Gambhir confirming that pacer Akash Deep will not be part of the final match of the series. He revealed that the 28-year-old pacer is sidelined due to a back injury and will not feature in the playing XI for the Sydney Test.
"As of now, Akash Deep is out (for the fifth test) due to a back injury," Gambhir said during the pre-match press conference.
Akash Deep, the right-arm fast-medium pacer, made his Test debut in 2024 against England. Since then, he has played seven matches, taking 15 wickets at an economy rate of 3.59. He has also contributed 83 runs at a strike rate of 49.40 in 7 Test matches and 10 innings. In the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, Akash Deep has played two matches and picked up five wickets at an average of 54.00.
Australia secured a dominant 184-run victory over India in the Melbourne Test, taking a 2-1 lead in the series, dashing India's hopes of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's next year.
India squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Sarfaraz Khan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian, Dhruv Jurel, Harshit Rana
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