Gautam Gambhir Press Conference Highlights: 'Rishabh Pant is absolutely fine to keep wickets'

Gautam Gambhir on Gill's fitness status: "He (Gill) was injured in the last game. It was because of an injury that he missed the previous game. He has been in great touch. We have not decided the playing XI. We will decide tomorrow and whatever team we decide, they'll go out to win."

Gambhir in full on KL Rahul: "First of all, social media does not matter one bit. You do not pick players because of the social media or what the experts think. What the team management thinks, what the leadership group thinks, is very very important. Ultimately, everyone is judged, international cricket is about being judged. Everyone's performance will be judged eventually."

"But I feel he is batting really well, he has had a decent knock in Kanpur, obviously on a difficult wicket and he played according to the plans. He would be knowing that he wants to score big runs, he has that capability of scoring these big runs that is why he is being backed by the team management."

Gambhir on Pant who was struck on the knee in the first Test: "He's absolutely fine, he'll keep wickets tomorrow"

Gambhir: "Once this series is over, we have 10-12 days and that's good enough rest. Of course we will evaluate after this game. Keeping the pacers fresh is important."

Gambhir: "With New Zealand having so many left handers, we wanted someone who can take the ball away from them. We haven't decided on the playing XI but he's a good option to have"

Gambhir: "He was injured in the last game. He has been in great touch. We have not decided the playing XI. We will decide tomorrow and whatever team we decide, they'll go out to win."

Gambhir: "Draws are boring. With T20 cricket around, I don't think we will see a lot of draws in Tests"

Gambhir: "Social media doesn't decide playing XI. It is not important what social media or experts think, it is important what team management thinks. He had a decent knock in a tough Kanpur pitch. Yes, he would want to score big runs. And this team management is looking to back him."

India head coach Gautam Gambhir: "In any Test match, picking up a playing XI is always tough. It is always good to have competition."

India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate addressed the media on India's behalf.

"Yeah, I think everyone's really well. There wasn't too much bowling in that first Test, so the fast bowlers are all good. Rishabh's pretty good. I think Rohit Sharma touched on it the other day. He was having a little bit of discomfort at the end range of his movement with the knee. But fingers crossed he'll be good to keep in this Test as well."

On Gill: "He's batted last week in Bangalore, he had a few nets. He's got a little bit of discomfort, but I'll think he will be good to go for the Test."

KL Rahul vs Sarfaraz: "Yeah, there's no point in sugarcoating it, there's a fight for a spot. Sarfaraz was obviously brilliant in the last Test. I went to KL after the last Test (and) said how many balls do you play at (and) miss at? He didn't play at (and) miss at one ball and that's what tends to happen when you're not getting runs."

"There's certainly no concerns about KL, he's batting nicely, he's in a good mental space. But we are certainly going to have to fit seven pieces into six spots for this Test and look at the pitch now and decide what's going to be best for the team," he said.

Ahead of the second Test, Daryl Mitchell and Ryan ten Doeschate spoke to the media on Tuesday. Here are the important points from the Black Caps camp:

Daryl Mitchell: "One thing we can’t do is change the surface. It’s all about reacting to what’s coming at us and adapting on the fly."

On the first Test: "It’s another Test match now. What has been, has been. I’m obviously very grateful to win that Test match, but at the same time, it’s a different ground, different surface, and we’ll be ready to go from the first ball.”

“Rishabh is a world-class player, and I seriously respect how he plays his cricket. But at Bangalore, it’s a fast-scoring ground, and we knew we just needed to keep trying to take wickets and put pressure on them,” Mitchell explained.

Speaking of KL Rahul, Times of India can report that Lucknow Super Giants will not retain KL Rahul. There is a possibility of the franchise using the Right to Match (RTM) card on him but that's for the auction table. Will he stick it out until then or join Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the rumours suggest?

Former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar feels KL Rahul should sit out if Shubman Gill is deemed fit to play the second Test. KL Rahul piled poor scores of 0 and 12 to continue his inconsistent Test run.

"Yes. I think that could be the call the team management will take if Gill is not fit. It is a little unfair for somebody like Virat to keep batting at number three. Maybe because KL is looking so lost (in the middle-order), maybe push him to number three and just free up a little bit and let Virat play at number four," said Manjrekar in conversation with ESPNCricinfo.

India's Test record at the MCA Stadium in Pune

Played: 2

India won: 1 (beat South Africa)

India lost: 1 (lost to Australia)

Results:

Australia beat India by 333 runs in 2017

India beat South Africa by innings and 137 runs in 2019

How the first Test panned out? In Bengaluru, after the first day was washed out, the second day began under the lights, Rohit Sharma made the decision to bat. And that, he admitted later, wasn't the smartest move. India were bowled out for mere 46 runs with Matt Henry taking a fifer.

In reply, New Zealand scored 402 with Rachin Ravindra (134) and Devon Conway (91) among the runs.

The second innings saw runs aplenty from the Indian camp as Sarfaraz Khan, who recently became a father, scored a 150 and Rishabh Pant stopped short of a century. Yet, there was a collapse here as well.

Chasing 107 to win, New Zealand conceded an early wicket but remained steady to chase down the target under the watchful eye of Will Young and Ravindra

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