‘Bowlers win you matches and tournaments’: Gautam Gambhir ahead of India vs New Zealand Test

Gautam Gambhir has highlighted the importance of bowlers in cricket. India’s head coach has urged the need to shift away from the "batter-obsessed" mindset as the team prepared for the opening Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru. It starts on October 16.

Gambhir has shared his thoughts before the match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, pointing out how cricket has changed in recent years.

According to Gambhir, over the past decade, bowlers have increasingly taken the spotlight in Test cricket, a format in which batters traditionally dominate by spending long hours at the crease.

"That era is past. This is the era of bowlers. Batters only set up matches. This batsman-obsessed attitude of ours needs to end. If a batter even scores 1,000 runs, it doesn't guarantee victory. But if a bowler takes 20 wickets, then there is a 99% guarantee that we will win the Test match," ANI quoted Gambhir as saying in a press conference on October 14.

Gambhir has noted that the recent Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur was a reminder of how red-ball cricket has evolved. Despite losing over two days to rain and a wet outfield, India’s bowlers aggressively attacked Bangladesh, taking 20 wickets to secure a memorable win.

"If it is a Test match or any other format, bowlers win you matches and tournaments. In this era, we will talk more about bowlers compared to batters, and I hope this mindset changes," Gambhir added.

Test matches in the past

Gambhir reflected that, in the past, particularly from the 1950s to 1990s, matches often ended in draws even when batters stayed at the crease for long periods. However, in today’s game, results are more frequently driven by the bowlers’ performances.

He referred to the recent Test in Multan, where Pakistan posted a large score, but England responded with 823/7 and relied on their bowlers to win by an innings and 47 runs.