'It's about how mentally strong you are' - Gautam Gambhir warns India's young batters ahead of BGT

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir has highlighted mental strength as a defining factor for the team's young batters ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scheduled from January 21 to March 3, 2027. The five-match series will be played across Nagpur, Chennai, Guwahati, Ranchi and Ahmedabad.

Australia's bowling attack presents a significant challenge, featuring experienced campaigners Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon. These bowlers bring extensive Test cricket experience against India's young batting lineup. Gambhir acknowledged the challenge while emphasising what separates success from failure in the format.

"Looking forward to it. That is probably one thing which I'm absolutely looking forward to, because playing against Australia at home, and obviously it wasn't the best when we went to Australia. And for me, I think it is going to be India versus Australia, but before that, it is New Zealand. But the other challenge against Australia will be their experienced bowling attack. They've got the likes of obviously Starc, Nathan Lyon, Cummins, and Hazlewood," Gambhir said as quoted by NDTV Sports.

"Obviously they've got so much experience of playing Test cricket against our young batting lineup. So it's going to be a great experience for these guys. More importantly, in Test cricket, it's about the skill, but it's about how mentally strong and how much pressure you can absorb. The more pressure you absorb, and the more pressure you embrace, it's going to give yourself the best chance," he added.

Preparation will give you results: Gambhir

Preparation time has emerged as a critical factor in India's Test performance. During the recent tour of Sri Lanka, India secured more than 400 runs in both innings of both Test matches. The team arrived 10 days before the first Test match, allowing adequate preparation against spin bowling. This contrasted sharply with earlier series where preparation time was limited.

"But you could see that in Sri Lanka, we played two Test matches, and we got more than 400 runs in both the innings. And the reason was that we prepared extremely well. We went 10 days before the Test match, we could prepare playing spin, and then you could see the results as well. The thing is, I'm not going to give any excuses, but that's the reality," Gambhir said.

"When we played the Test series against South Africa, we were coming after playing a T20 series from Australia. And we had two days before the first Test match. I remember coming from Brisbane, and then we reached Calcutta. We had two practice sessions, and we were straightaway into the Test match against South Africa," he added.

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We need to plan for spin: Gambhir

The importance of early arrival and spin preparation was underscored by Gambhir's analysis of the Sri Lanka tour. Playing in Sri Lanka's conditions against experienced spinners required specific preparation. The improvement shown by India's batters in scoring 400-plus runs in both innings of both Test matches demonstrated the value of adequate preparation time.

"When we went to Sri Lanka early, you could see the way guys played spin, because Sri Lanka isn't easy conditions. In their own backyard, the weather, their spinners, their experienced spinners against our batting lineup. If you can get 400-plus in both the innings in both the Test matches, that just shows that there is a lot of improvement happening. So we will have to prepare well before New Zealand and before Australia, and obviously the focus is on spin, yes, that how well can we manage and how well can we negate spin," Gambhir said.

Test cricket need to be divine: Gambhir

Young cricketers Devdutt Padikkal and Manav Suthar have been cited as examples of players who prioritise red-ball cricket. Gambhir emphasised the importance of the next generation valuing Test cricket in an era dominated by T20 cricket's financial rewards and media attention. The development of young players through structured pathways has been crucial to their growth.

"Extremely important, because both of them are young, both of them are hungry, both of them value Test cricket. It is so important for the next generation who's coming in to value Test cricket, because in today's day and age, with so much of focus and so much of limelight and so much of monetary gains that are associated with T20 cricket, how we can keep Test cricket divine, and above the other two formats is going to be key. Also, how much value a young generation or the new guys coming in gives that red-ball cricket is going to be key. That's why I said, a strong Test-cricketing nation is going to be a strong cricketing nation," Gambhir said.

"When it comes to Manav and Dev, I think they value Test cricket, they're disciplined, hungry, and prepare really well. And Manav, we've seen that I've got to give selectors and BCCI a lot of credit because the way they've handled Manav, for the amount of opportunities he's got, the way he's been groomed over such a long period of time, the amount of A tours he's done and bowled in different conditions... So my belief is that the better we prepare, the better opportunity we have to deliver," he concluded.