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Anil Kumble opens up on Gautam Gambhir’s inclusion in Test side

The elegant batsman from Delhi has been out of international cricket for a while and the news has certainly made rounds in the fraternity and the fans are ecstatic about it.

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quote (1) India and Delhi cricketer Gautam Gambhir has been included in the Test squad for the remainder of the Test series against New Zealand at home. The elegant batsman from Delhi has been out of international cricket for a while and the news has certainly made rounds in the fraternity and the fans are ecstatic about it. KL Rahul suffered an injury and has been ruled out of the series because of which Gambhir joins the national side. It’s good news for the southpaw as he has been in some brilliant form in the domestic circuit and rightly deserved a place. Gambhir has immense experience on his shoulders and his inclusion will surely benefit the national side.
India’s coach Anil Kumble spoke about him while addressing the media prior to the second Test at Kolkata. He said, “I think it’s really nice to have Gautam back. Gautam has done really well in domestic cricket and he is a part of the 15. I don’t want to give away anything with regards to the team combinations all 15 are available for selection, so it’s nice to have him back.” Gambhir averages over 40 in Tests and last played a game in whites against England in their own den, but couldn’t make an impact as the while batting floundered.
Kumble also opened up on Cheteshwar Pujara, if the steady right-handed batsman was facing any kind of pressure to perform in the Tests. He quipped, “I don’t think Pujara has ever breathed easily from all you perspective (pointing at the journalists) and some people who are constantly watching him. But at least from the team management and team’s perspective, there’s absolutely no pressure on Pujara. He is someone like I earlier mentioned and he is a very important cog in our team and we have seen over the years his contribution and even in the last Test match we saw the importance of his contribution to the team’s score so I don’t see any pressure on anyone. The beauty of this squad is that there is no pressure, yes, there are roles and responsibilities but there is no pressure put on any player.”
Gambhir was ecstatic about the news and his tweets were enough to say about his feeling. He tweeted, “Nothing beats playing again for d country. Test cricket, whites, red ball and India cap again. Thanks @BCCI, thanks 2 all for d prayers.” Gambhir has the ingredients to excel in Tests and has done so in the pasts. His splendid run in the Duleep Trophy helped him sculpt a spot in the national side and it won’t be wrong to say that his hard work finally paid off. Gambhir was once the best Test player in the country and scored runs aplenty against the red ball.
Off-spinner Jayant Yadav has also been drafted into the side as Ishant Sharma is suffering from chikungunya is ruled out of the second Test. According to PTI, Gambhir also cleared the fitness test at the National Cricket Academy along with Yuvraj Singh.

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