My job is to win trophies and that's all I believe in: Gambhir

COLOMBO: Gautam Gambhir isn't bothered by the "outside noise" and the brickbats hurled at him after a string of poor results, saying his focus firmly remains on "winning trophies for India".

Since Gambhir took over as head coach in July 2024, India have lost two home Test series against New Zealand and South Africa and were thrashed by Australia Down Under.

The only silver lining in Tests under his stewardship has been a creditable 2-2 away series draw against England.

Asked about his criticism, Gambhir retorted in his inimitable manner.

"Criticism? My job is to win trophies. That's all I believe in. That is the difference between me and everyone. I don't care about views or likes," Gambhir said during a pre-match press conference here on Saturday.

Gambhir was also asked about his interaction with chairman of the selection committee Ajit Agarkar.

"I wish I could tell you about the conversation between the head coach and the chairman of selectors. It’s only about how we want to move forward within cricket, what is important and what are the right decisions to make for betterment within cricket. So probably it's only around cricket now, how we see it in the game going forward," he added.

However, Gambhir admitted that there have been discussions within the power group regarding the frequent injuries to players.

"Even in this series, we have been missing so many players. We have had a bit. It's not the BCCI, but overall, we want our best players to play as much cricket as possible. It's also because there will be continuity and we can put our best players on the path as regularly as we can."

India are currently placed fifth in the World Test Championship table behind Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh.

But for Gambhir, the positioning did not matter, and it did not exactly reflect the way India have been playing Test cricket.

"Rankings do not matter. We are not struggling. Since the England tour, we have played reasonable Test cricket. I think we are going through a transition.

"I am sure that people sitting in the press box and in the commentary box know that we are going through a transition. There will be ups and downs. But we know that wherever we are getting it right," he added.

Encouragement for Kuldeep

While he didn't fully divulge if India will stick to its winning combination at Galle in the second Test here, Gambhir had some words of encouragement for under-fire left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

Kuldeep went for over 100 runs in his 25 combined overs in the first Test, bagging only a wicket.

“Ultimately, we know how good a bowler Kuldeep is. And more importantly, sometimes, it's up to the captain as well (team selection). It's not about under-bowling. It's about getting the result. For me, I think that is more important.

“When you play five proper bowlers, someone will eventually get under-bowled. But it's not about someone not delivering and getting under-bowled. It's the captain or the management's decision as to who will be most effective in that particular condition.

"For a very long period of time, we get Kuldeep doing the right things. We know how successful and how effective he can be in a good condition,” Gambhir explained.

However, the former India opener hinted that India will stick to their five-bowler policy in the second Test as well.

"If it's a very flat wicket, the bowlers will have to work hard, maybe a lot of extra hard work, because, as I said, you'll have to take 20 wickets. If it's a flat wicket, ultimately, we have only one solution. We have five proper bowlers."

Gambhir said having five bowlers will help the skipper to rotate the bowlers more effectively during a match.

"So, when you have five proper bowlers, you can better rotate your bowlers. We saw this in the last Test match as well. Even if Kuldeep didn't bowl a lot, we had five proper bowlers, who can get you a wicket at any stage.

"But, if you don't have five proper bowlers, then, you won't be able to rotate your seniors as well as your seniors will have to come back early. You want them to come and create an impact. So, I always say that, the team that has five proper bowlers, it's not a luxury, always has a better chance of winning the Test match," he added.