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Gautam Gambhir admitted India aren’t yet “where we want to be” in fitness ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Gautam Gambhir has made a huge claim about Team India’s fitness levels. (Picture Credit: AFP)
India men’s head coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday admitted that with only a few months to go to the 2026 T20 World Cup, the team was not ‘where we want to be’ in terms of fitness. He said he has already had a conversation about the team regarding the improvements he needs and how physical fitness would directly impact their mental strength in the high-pressure games of the marquee event.
He was speaking a few hours after India’s 2-1 series win over Australia, capped by a washed-out final match. So far, India have yet to lose a T20I series under Gambhir’s tutelage. However, the Australia tour gave some warning signs, considering that the hosts were playing all but a ‘B’ team with most of the first-team regulars practicing red-ball cricket for the upcoming Ashes.
“Look, obviously, the primary focus is the two Test matches against South Africa,” Gambhir told the BCCI in an interview when asked about the team’s immediate goals. “They are in the World Test Championship, and obviously, they’re playing really good cricket as well. And we know how important the World Test cycle is, and these two Test matches are very, very important.”
The Test series begins on November 14 at the Eden Gardens with the second Test in Guwahati from November 22.
“And then obviously the next focus is going to be the T20 World Cup, which is going to be at home. So for me, I think these two things are very important. These two formats are very, very important. I’m not saying that we won’t focus on the 50-over format, but yes, from the fitness point of view, I think we still aren’t where we want to be come the T20 World Cup,” he said.
“And that is exactly the conversation that we had with the boys as well — that we want to be absolutely sharp. We want to be fit, we want to move quicker. The fitter we are, the more mentally strong we are, because come the pressure games, come the pressure situations, the more physically strong you are, the more mentally strong you are. So hopefully you guys know the importance of being fit. We still have three months to be where we want to be, yeah,” Gambhir added.
November 10, 2025, 20:26 IST
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