NEW DELHI: India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir believes that T20 cricket is constantly evolving, and for the national team to remain dominant, it must continue to innovate and stay ahead of global trends.
Gambhir, who took charge of Team India following their T20 World Cup 2024 triumph, has overseen a period of impressive results in the shortest format. Under his leadership, India have registered 26 wins and just four losses, claiming seven consecutive T20I series victories, including a memorable win against Australia Down Under.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on BCCI.tv, Gambhir emphasised that adaptability and flexibility remain central to India’s modern T20 philosophy.
“That (fluid batting order) has been the ideology from day one when I took over as the head coach. From Sri Lanka till now, it hasn’t changed,” Gambhir said.
“Batting orders are overrated, except for the openers. What matters in T20 cricket is not the number of runs, but the impact a player creates.”
‘We Want to Be Ahead of T20 Cricket’
The former India opener underlined that the team’s approach is not based on averages or strike rates, but on match-changing contributions.
“We don’t play thinking about averages or strike rates — we focus on impact. T20 cricket keeps evolving, and if coaches don’t evolve, they fall behind. We want to be ahead of T20 cricket,” he stated.
Gambhir also praised India’s young talent for embracing a fearless yet intelligent brand of cricket, describing it as a ‘high-risk, high-reward’ philosophy.
“We want this team to be fearless, but also smart. The young players have adapted well, and hopefully they continue to evolve in the future.”
All-Round Depth Key to Balance
Highlighting India’s depth in all-round options, Gambhir pointed out the importance of players like Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in maintaining balance across conditions.
“We have players like Axar and Washi who can both bat and bowl. They’re good enough to be picked purely as batters, which gives us incredible flexibility,” Gambhir said.
“They’ll play a crucial role at the World Cup and beyond. With their quality, they can perform in any conditions.”
Despite India’s strong run in the format, Gambhir admitted that there is still work to be done before the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be hosted in India.
“We’re not yet where we want to be, but in three months’ time, we’ll get there,” he added confidently.
