When questioned about the positives from the defeat, specifically Pant’s standout performances, Gambhir was straightforward in his response. True to form, the former opener delivered a candid reply, stating, “The only thing that matters is the result and India fell short,” he remarked.
Gambhir didn’t hesitate to express his exasperation. When asked about witnessing the vice-captain’s remarkable innings, he sharply reminded, “Test cricket is about winning matches, not celebrating milestones”.
“There are three more centuries as well. Those are big positives too. Thank you,” was his brief response to a direct question concerning Pant.
When pushed further on the overall positives, Gambhir responded, “I would have preferred if you noted there was a hundred from Yashasvi (Jaiswal), a hundred from Shubman (Gill) on debut as captain.
“(There was a) hundred from KL (Rahul) and two centuries from Rishabh, so five centuries in a Test match is a fantastic start, to be honest. I wish the question could have been better,” he added.
However, the coach emphasized that individual performances mean little when the final result is a loss. India lost by five wickets after setting England a challenging target of 371. “But again, these are great positives; we had a five-wicket haul from Jasprit Bumrah too. Ultimately, everything comes down to the fact that…we go out there to achieve results,” he commented.
“Yes, individual performances are commendable; we want significant runs from our top six or seven, which we achieved in this Test match. But at the end of the day, the goal is to win a Test match. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the outcome. So we take it on the chin and move forward,” he concluded.
(With PTI inputs)
