Indian batter Hanuma Vihari reckons there will be pressure on head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of the ODI series against England. India were recently stunned 0-2 by Ireland in the T20I series. To add salt to injury, India was totally dominated by England and suffered a 0-4 series loss with one match ending in no result.
India are the T20 World Cup champions and barring the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, the team was playing with full strength. Thus, to lose six matches on the bounce was a shocking result for Gautam Gambhir and Co..
Vihari cited Brendon McCullum (Test) and Stephen Fleming, who have been sacked by ECB and CSK.
“There is a lot of pressure on Gautam Gambhir as well because when the performance is not good, the pressure is on the coach. Look at Brendon McCullum, for example. Or Stephen Fleming. Both were removed. India did not do well in the T20Is. They did not have a great performance in Tests either, losing to South Africa and New Zealand. The coach will also feel the pressure, and this is a very, very important series for him as well,” Hanuma Vihari said in a video on his YouTube channel.
On the other hand, Vihari said the veteran Indian batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli might find it difficult to adjust to the English conditions.
“If you look at the big guns, like Rohit and Virat, they are playing only the IPL and ODIs. You can manage one, or two, or three series but it will not be easy in the long run if the team does not do well here. Even for Shubman Gill. KL Rahul is also missing games. So in this ODI side there are many players who play only that format so it might be a little difficult for them to adjust. especially if there are only three ODIs.”
The first ODI between England and India will be played at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Tuesday.
