Gambhir praises India’s tenacity but calls for further improvement

PALLEKELE: Head coach Gautam Gambhir praised India for pulling off a tenacious Super Over win in the low-scoring third T20I against Sri Lanka for a series whitewash, but called for consistent improvement on pitches assisting sharp turn.

In a contest delayed by an hour due to rain here on Tuesday, India struggled against both spin and pace on a fresh pitch to make a mere 137/9.

But the Suryakumar Yadav-led side showed doggedness in the second half despite Sri Lanka’s domination to force the contest into a Super Over, restricting the host to 137/8 from 129/4 after 18 overs, and eventually winning the match to seal a 3-0 win.

“Guys, congratulations on a great series win. Congratulations to Surya as well, outstanding captaincy and with the bat as well. I asked for something before the start of the game and you absolutely delivered it.

“This is what happens when you keep fighting, (and when) you don’t give up,” Gambhir told the team.

“These kind of games happen and the only way these key games can happen (in favour) is when we keep fighting on every delivery and for every run and this was the example.”

Gambhir, however, urged the team to keep working on improving collectively on turning tracks which posed a different challenge to the batting group in particular.

“We keep getting better, we keep improving our skills as well because we still need to get better on playing on wickets like these, because we might end up getting these kind of wickets (in future).

“So we should first assess the situation and conditions really quickly and what is the par score as well,” he said.

Gambhir urged players, who are not a part of the three-match ODI series starting on Friday, to enjoy their break but at the same time, keep working on their fitness.

“Some of the guys will not be a part of the 50-overs format will have a longer break, so make sure when you come back for the Bangladesh series...you can take a break. You absolutely deserve it, but more importantly, keep your skills and especially the fitness levels high.”

Brief scores: India 137/9 in 20 overs (M Theekshana 3/28) tied with Sri Lanka 137/8 in 20 overs (K Perera 46, K Mendis 43). India won Super Over