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Gautam Gambhir says the Indian cricket team is not yet fully prepared for the T20 World Cup but has three months to improve.
Gautam Gambhir (left) is hopeful the players will be ready by the time world cup rolls in next year. (Screengrab/X/BCCI )
The Indian cricket team is not yet where it “wants to be” in its preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup, head coach Gautam Gambhir stated, but he believes there is still ample time to achieve the desired readiness.
In a brief teaser of his interview with ‘bcci.tv’, Gambhir emphasised the significance of fitness.
“Our dressing room has been very transparent and honest, and we aim to maintain that. I think we’re still not at our target for the T20 World Cup,” he mentioned in the 46-second clip, which precedes the full interview scheduled for later in the day.
“Hopefully, the players understand the importance of being fit. We have three months left to reach where we need to be,” he added.
The T20 World Cup is slated to take place in India and Sri Lanka in February-March next year, where India will be defending their title.
Gambhir reiterated his approach of assigning challenging tasks to individuals to gauge their character. “Throw players into the deep end, it’s as simple as that. We did the same with Shubman Gill when he was named Test captain,” he said.
Gill delivered an impressive batting performance in his debut Test series as captain against England. Under his leadership, the Indian team drew the series 2-2, with each match extending to the fifth day and fortunes fluctuating throughout.
Later, he captained India to a 2-0 clean sweep of West Indies in a two-Test series at home and then oversaw a 1-2 ODI series defeat in Australia. India are slated to host South Africa for a two-match Test series next with the opening match to be played from November 14 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Test squad has assembled in Kolkata with captain Temba Bavuma linking up after taking part in the second Unofficial Test between India A and South Africa A in Bengaluru.
“Bavuma, along with another player and a few officials, arrived this morning from Bengaluru. Most of the squad including the head coach had already checked in on Sunday,,” the South Africa team’s local manager told PTI. “So, South Africa now have their full contingent in. There’s no activity scheduled at the Eden today… Most likely, both teams will have their first training session on Tuesday.”
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
November 10, 2025, 11:46 IST
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