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Head coach Gautam Gambhir finally gave his verdict on India's unprecedented defeat against New Zealand in Bengaluru and claimed that the hosts stood 100 runs short of setting up the match.
Under the gloomy sky in Bengaluru, the home crowd watched the game in silence as India packed their first inning on a mere score of 46. A lot of things transpired after that shaky start, with captain Rohit Sharma taking the responsibility of misreading the pitch after winning the toss and opting to bat. India eventually lost the first Test by eight wickets, making the remaining two games a tricky affair, which is now meant to be approached with more caution. While many fans and experts painted a flawed picture of India's performance, Gambhir dwelled on the positives a day before the second Test commenced in Pune. "If we enjoy days like we did in Kanpur, then we have to accept days that we face in Bengaluru. But the positive side was we were still looking to win the Test match after being bowled out on 46. That is the most important thing. I have said it before, our first option is win, and the second is draw," Gambhir said, in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday. "In the second innings, we were looking to set up the match. I feel we were 100 runs shy of setting up the match. I don't think there are many teams who think like this. We want to play such cricket in future," he added. Despite suffering a defeat, India still sit at the top of the standings. The loss has somewhat weakened their hold on a place in next year's final, as their percentage drops to 68.06 per cent ahead of two more Tests against New Zealand and a five-match series with Australia at the end of the year. India will be keen on returning back to the winning ways and salvage the series before it goes out of their grasp in the second Test. (ANI)
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