'Test match win hits different' - Gautam Gambhir’s powerful statement on Team India ahead of Day 5 vs England on The Great Indian Kapil Show

Mayank Bande

'Test match win hits different' - Gautam Gambhir’s powerful statement on Team India ahead of Day 5 vs England on The Great Indian Kapil Show image

(getty)

Gautam Gambhir has been in the headlines frequently over the past year since taking over as India's head coach across formats.

During his time at the helm, the Indian team has not been able to produce positive results in Test cricket. They lost their first series at home after 12 years, suffering a 0-3 defeat against New Zealand. That was followed by a 1-3 loss in Australia and another defeat to start the ongoing tour of England.

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On the contrary, the white-ball teams under him have done exceptionally well as they won the ICC Champions Trophy in March without losing any match.

However, as India sits in the driver's seat ahead of the 5th day of India vs England Test at Edgbaston with 7 wickets needed to win, the coach has openly expressed his love for Test cricket.

He put it on a pedestal and called it the best format, despite not having much success in it as a coach. See what he had to say.

Gautam Gambhir opens up on the satisfaction Test wins provide

Speaking in the latest episode of The Great Indian Kapil Show, Gambhir spoke about how the mood in the dressing room changes with formats.

He discussed about the rollercoaster of emotions in the phases during a five-day Test match and compared the difference in satisfaction between a Test win to white-ball cricket.

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"There is a different mood in the dressing room during a Test, ODI and a T20I. T20Is are pretty relaxed, but in Tests, you have to play for five days. There are phases when things don't go well and phases when they do.

"But a win in Tests is what brings real satisfaction. You can ask this to any cricketer — the fun of winning a Test cannot be compared to winning a One-Day or a T20 game. I don't want to differentiate as a coach, but nothing is like Test cricket," he stated.

On being asked what sets Tests apart from T20 and ODI cricket by the host, the Indian coach revealed the hard work that goes into Test cricket and the uncertainty of the result despite playing for five days.

"You work hard for five days, and still sometimes you don't know whether you will get a result in the match. T20 is decided in 3 hours, ODI in 6 hours, but imagine waking up for 5 days and fielding and batting for 90 overs. A win after all that gives a different joy," the India coach concluded.

During his playing days, the 43-year-old represented India in 58 Tests, scoring 4154 runs and even rose to number 1 in the ICC Test batting rankings briefly.

In his ODI career, he played 147 matches for 5238 runs and helped India lift the 2011 World Cup. He also played a key role when India won the 2007 World T20 and ended his T20I career with 932 runs in 37 matches.

Mayank Bande

Mayank Bande has been a content producer at The Sporting News since 2023 and has extensive experience in cricket writing. His work has previously appeared on platforms like OneCricket and Last Word on Sports. Beyond cricket, Mayank closely follows football as an FC Barcelona supporter, along with tennis and Olympic sports. Despite holding a degree in Business Administration, he chose to pursue a career in sports, bringing sharp analysis to his writing as someone who once played cricket.