‘No unplayable deliveries’: Gambhir urges batters to adapt after getting out for 89

Mount Maunganui: India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir believes the batters must find ways to tackle challenging conditions rather than allowing the opposition bowlers to dictate terms, insisting that there are no unplayable deliveries in international cricket after India suffered a humiliating 244-run defeat to New Zealand in the fourth ODI at the Bay Oval on Friday.

Speaking after the match, Gambhir said the Indian batters should have been better equipped to counter Henry’s disciplined bowling, adding that the movement on offer was not enough to justify the batting collapse.

“There are no unplayable deliveries in international cricket. Matt Henry bowled in good areas, but we should be able to negate that. I don’t go into technicalities. There wasn’t a lot of deviation. It’s the job of the batter to negate movement. More than the seam, the areas and lengths created problems for us. We got stuck in the crease,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.

The Indian head coach admitted that repeated batting collapses were a major concern, particularly with the team needing to prepare for challenging conditions ahead of the upcoming World Cup.

“You are always concerned when you get bundled out for 90-odd. These are conditions close to the World Cup. Even in the previous game, we lost seven wickets, so it’s a concern. We need to be mentally and skill-wise ready. A score of 35-40 without losing a wicket is fine in conditions like these. We have experience and can hopefully adapt in the last game,” he added.

India had also struggled in the second ODI, losing seven wickets for 111 runs, although they eventually secured a seven-wicket victory through the DLS method. IANS

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