Twitter
Advertisement

Chance for youngsters to prove themselves: Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir said with stars such as Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni rested from the first two ODIs against New Zealand, a window of opportunity has opened for youngsters.

Latest News
article-main
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

India's stand-in skipper Gautam Gambhir today said with stars such as Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni rested from the first two ODIs against New Zealand, a window of opportunity has opened for youngsters to prove their mettle ahead of next year's World Cup.

"It's a young side so there is a lot of energy. It's the last five one-dayers here before the World Cup so it's good opportunity for some of the guys in the dressing room. All of us are excited and looking forward," Gambhir said ahead of the opening one-dayer here tomorrow.

"Most of these guys have the experience at international level and they have done well in whatever opportunities they have got. It's going to be a good learning curve," he said.

Gambhir said a total of 270-280 would be ideal on this seemingly batting-friendly track in the opening ODI against New Zealand but they would have to push hard to finish the game by the time light fades out.

"It's a good wicket, I don't think the toss will play a role. Guwahati is always a good wicket which might do a bit in the morning. But it looks a good one-day wicket. Whoever plays well will win tomorrow. Let's see how it goes," Gambhir told reporters here.

Asked about a good total, Gambhir said, "We must try to score as much as possible  but 270-280 seems a good total because it starts spinning in the second half. New Zealand are a good side, we need to play well in the 100 overs to win the match.

"It's starting early at 8:30am. Light has always been an issue here. It gets dark around 4pm. So we really need to push it on. We need to be on our toes, we have to finish as early as possible."

Gambhir said they have a young energetic side with some experience and they should grab the chance ahead of the World Cup.

Asked whether their bowling is short on experience in absence of Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar, Gambhir said, "We have enough experience in the bowling as well with Ashish (Nehra) having played more than 100 ODIs, Munaf (Patel) has also played a lot. We have quality bowlers. Munaf, Ashish, Ashwin all have done well. It's a great opportunity for them."

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement