Gambhir's Coaching Philosophy and England's Spirited Start at Lord's

Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has highlighted the significance of first-class cricket, expressing its importance over other formats in the evolution of Indian cricket. Addressing the team's dressing room culture, Gambhir emphasized the value of every opinion, believing it to be crucial in shaping team environment and performance. Speaking to Sony Sports Network, Gambhir reflected on the ongoing Test series against England and the transformation in all three departments of the sport.

Gambhir, who has had notable success in white-ball cricket, including the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 win, acknowledged the team's struggles in Test cricket. Under his leadership, India has witnessed a period of inconsistency, with a recent home series defeat against New Zealand and a significant loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia. Despite these setbacks, Gambhir insists on prioritizing family while maintaining focus on the primary responsibility of representing Indian cricket.

In the ongoing third Test at Lord's, England made a strong start, reaching 83/2 at lunch. Joe Root and Ollie Pope steadied the innings after losing the openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett to India's Nitish Kumar Reddy. England's innings witnessed a cautious beginning against the pace of Jasprit Bumrah and Akash Deep, followed by Root's determination to make a decisive contribution after a disappointing run in the previous matches.

(With inputs from agencies.)