ENG vs IND 2025: 'Want to fight for common man' - Gambhir says Indian public drives them to play in England

The visiting Indian side could only manage a draw against England in the fourth Test of the ongoing series, but it came nothing less than a win for the side, as they once looked down and out in the game. From there, sensational knocks by KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar paved the way for what produced one of the most glorious displays of batting under pressure in recent times.

Meanwhile, India's head coach Gautam Gambhir was spicy as ever at the post-match press conference following the drawn game at the Old Trafford. Gambhir made it clear that the Indian team thinks as a unit, and even though they made history by drawing a game that once looked long-lost, he further believes that the team is fighting for the Indian common man.

“The first thing is that I don’t remember any of my knocks, that has become history. I think they are making their own history. Honestly, no one in this team will follow anyone or want to follow. They are making their own history. They want to fight for the common man back home,” the head coach said after the game.

“And the important thing is that the way a lot of people had written us off in this Test match, this is the foundation of this team. These are characters who are sitting in this dressing room, wanting to fight for the country, and they will continue to do that,” he said further.

After being two down without adding a run on the board, the Indian team was under a tremendous amount and series defeat looked almost certain. From that point, however, Rahul and skipper Gill joined hands for a brilliant 188-run partnership for the third wicket. While Rahul missed out on his hundred, the Indian captain went on to score his fourth century of the series.

The coach doesn't want to take anything for granted

After their dismissals, it was the southpaw duo of Jadeja and Sundar that aggregated a staggering 203 runs for the fifth wicket, batting for nearly a couple of sessions without taking any unnecessary risks. Both the batters reached their respective hundreds and finally shook hands with England to call the game off, as it resulted in a draw. Gambhir said that this game will give the entire team the much-needed confidence going into the fifth Test.

“When you’re put under the pressure, when you’re put under the pump, and you end up adding five sessions, I think that’s a great character. And anything that you do in these conditions, to come out of those pressure moments, it is always a great feeling. And it just ends up giving a lot of confidence in the dressing room. And I’m sure, I think going into Oval, we will be high on confidence, but we can’t take anything for granted,” he told.

The fifth and final Test of the series is set to be played at The Oval in London, starting July 31. India must win this game to save themselves from what could be their third-consecutive series defeat in the format.