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The India national cricket team will return to the traditional format of cricket as they host Afghanistan for the only Test outside the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 cycle. However, this is an important match for head coach Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill to test their best team ahead of the series against Sri Lanka.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir is currently holding a press conference ahead of the match day, where he shared his valuable insights on the upcoming series and India’s chances of qualification for the WTC final. So far, the Men in Blue have lost two consecutive home series against New Zealand and South Africa.
We are confident that we can win – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir said in the press conference before the match, “We are confident that we can win the WTC. This team has talent and hunger.” However, since Gambhir joined the team, the Men in Blue have lost two home series and one away series against Australia. But his performance on home ground has been one of the most talking points.
The Men in Blue team is currently placed sixth in the WTC points table with 48.15% points. They are reportedly scheduled to tour Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series in August 2026, which will be their first red-ball assignment in the country in almost a decade. Before this, they do not have any kind of Test match, so the Men in Blue will be watching this game seriously.
Gautam Gambhir’s performance as India’s head coach
Since joining as head coach, Gautam Gambhir has won the Asia Cup, ICC Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup 2026. Under his leadership, the Men in Blue team has had dominant performances in the white-ball formats, especially in the shorter formats; They have not lost a single T20 series during his tenure. But then, in the Test format, barring the sensational tour of England, India have failed to perform well.
Apart from the WTC comments, the ODI World Cup winner also provided a major update on India’s No. 3 position as he confirmed that Sai Sudarshan will be the batsman to play in that position ahead of Devdutt Padikkal. Although the latter has had better form in first-class cricket, Gauthi made it clear that the Tamil Nadu batsman will be given a chance for a longer period of time.
India is making long plans for the upcoming series
In terms of spin options, Gambhir said that Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey were comparable, yet there was a difference in their release points. He said that this match will give India an opportunity to choose its fourth spinner, as the team intends to take four spinners on the Sri Lanka tour in August.
He also said that India will need to prepare differently for the New Zealand tour, which may include some ODI players who will also play Tests. Gambhir said that the team recognized the importance of better preparation for Test cricket. The India head coach has a long-term plan and will try to execute it properly.
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