Gautam Gambhir praised India's 3-2 T20I series win over New Zealand despite limited preparation time
The head coach said the T20I team had set the tone for the upcoming ODI and Test assignments
India begin their five-match ODI series against New Zealand on November 4
India head coach Gautam Gambhir believes the T20I team's 3-2 series victory over New Zealand has given the visitors a strong platform for the remaining assignments on the tour.
Despite a demanding schedule, the Shreyas Iyer-led side managed to clinch the five-match series.
India arrived in New Zealand just days before the opening encounter, leaving the players with only a brief window to prepare. The team also had to contend with a packed schedule, with matches spread across four different venues and little time for recovery between games.
Addressing the players after the series, Gambhir praised their performance and highlighted the circumstances in which they secured the series win. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video of his dressing-room address on social media.
"You can be extremely proud of the effort that you guys have given in this series. Winning the series especially when you got one day to prepare and playing against a quality team like New Zealand in their own backyard... you can be extremely proud and go back with your head held high," Gambhir said.
The head coach also acknowledged that India would have wanted to win the final two matches but insisted that the team's overall performance had laid the foundation for the rest of the tour.
He reminded the players that setting the benchmark for the upcoming assignments had been their responsibility from the outset.
"Yes you wanted to win the last two as well but sometimes these things can happen. But I thought you guys have set the tone for the rest of the tour. Before the start of the series I said that you guys have the responsibility to set the tone.
"Now it is up to the One-Day guys and Test guys to continue from where you guys have left," he added.
India's attention will now shift to the 50-over format, with the five-match ODI series against New Zealand scheduled to begin on Wednesday, November 4. The two teams will subsequently meet in a two-match Test series, starting November 19.
Gambhir also asked the T20I players to maintain their fitness and stay prepared for their next international assignment. India are scheduled to host Sri Lanka for a T20I series in December, giving the squad a month-long break before returning to action.
"Make sure that we keep improving, that is something that is going to be important. We know that we don't play enough T20 cricket. We got a month off now, so make sure that you stay in that shape and we get prepared.
"We continue to grow as a team, we continue to think as a team and we continue to play as a team," Gambhir signed off.
India will look to carry the momentum from their T20I series triumph into the ODI leg, which begins on November 4, with the first match scheduled to start at 7:30 AM IST.
