India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, indicated that he is in a good mood ahead of India’s tour of England. The five-match Test series will begin on June 20 at Headingley.
Gautam Gambhir voiced faith in the squad, stating that they are prepared and willing to perform. The former Indian opener also stated that no final decision has been taken on Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for all Tests.
“You are always in a good space. Everyone wants to do well. It does not really matter if it’s a clean slate. We have players who want to go out and express themselves.”
Gautam Gambhir
“We have not taken the call which Test Bumrah will play. It will depend on the results of the matches as well.”
Gautam Gambhir,
I am always under pressure: Gautam Gambhir,
Gautam Gambhir acknowledged the continual pressure of being the head coach. He stated that the pressure will be present regardless of the outcome.
“First of all, I am always under pressure. Because being the coach, you want the results. It does not change with winning or losing.”
Gautam Gambhir,
There should be no roadshows: Gautam Gambhir,
He also addressed the sad stampede that occurred at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) victory party on June 4, in which 11 people were killed. Gambhir lamented the loss and stressed the significance of accountability while arranging such events.
“I do not think we should have roadshows. In the future, we can be more sure about this. My heart goes out to the people who lost their lives. We are all equally responsible for this. All I can say is, we need to be responsible. Every life matters. If we are not ready to hold a road show, we should not do that. You cannot lose 11 people.”
Gautam Gambhir
India squad for the England Test series
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk/vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
India schedule for the England tour:
| Match | Date | Venue |
| 1st Test | June 20 -June 24 | Headingley (Leeds) |
| 2nd Test | July 02 – July 06 | Edgbaston (Birmingham) |
| 3rd Test | July 10 – July 14 | Lord’s (London) |
| 4th Test | July 23 – July 27 | Old Trafford (Manchester) |
| 5th Test | July 31 – August 04 | The Oval (London) |
