Batsmen have forgotten how to defend themselves in Test cricket because of the T20 game, says India coach Gautam Gambhir, as his team looks to avoid a 3-0 home series loss against New Zealand in Mumbai.
The Black Caps sealed their first win in the Take a look at series on Indian soil last week in Pune and are now looking to sweep the final match starting on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
India's famous batting, led by captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, faltered in the series, including the hosts' 46 in the first innings of the opening Test.
Gambhir attributed the poor performance to a 20-plus offensive mindset, at the expense of the conservative stance needed for long periods in the box.
“The basis of your batting in Test cricket has to be defence,” Gambhir said on Thursday.
“It probably has a lot to do with playing on flat pitches in T20 cricket,” he added.
“We will have the same problems with many other teams because the more T20 cricket is played, the less people will start defending.”
The last time India was shut out in a home series was in 2000, when they lost 2-0 to South Africa, and Gambhir said his batsmen had to adapt ahead of next month's tour of Australia, where they will play five Tests.
“We should be able to adapt. We should be a team that can get 400 in a day if we need to get a result and we can also bat for two days. That's what growth is about and that's what Test cricket is about,” Gambhir told reporters on Thursday.
“Test cricket cannot be played in one way because it is about adaptability, observing the situation and playing according to the situation and most importantly, it is about playing sessions.
“If we can start learning how to play sessions, with the quality we have in our batting lineup, I think if we play four and a half sessions we will have a lot of runs on the board.”
New Zealand beat India in their own spin game for a 113-run victory in the second Test with Mitchell Santner returning a 13-wicket haul.
Gambhir rejected experts' allegations that India had lost the ability to counter indirect attacks from other teams.
“I don't think so, sometimes you have to give it to the opposition too,” said Gambhir, a former opening batsman.
“Mitchell Santner was outstanding in the last game but we will continue to work hard, we will continue to improve. I don't think our ability against effects has really decreased.”
India lost the second match in three days to suffer its first home series defeat in 12 years and end a streak of 18 home games wins during that period.
The final Test will be India's last before embarking on their important tour of Australia, which will begin with the first of five Tests on November 22 in Perth.
Gambhir said his men were determined not to give New Zealand an outright victory.
“Every time you lose a game, whether it's home or away, it should hurt. “That pain will make us better,” he said.
“For me, it is good that the World Test Championship points are important and that there are no more deadlocks in Test cricket,” he added.
“We should try to win this test match to go to Australia with a win under our belt.”
New Zealand captain Tom Latham agreed that the World Test Championship had breathed new life into the five-day format.
The Black Caps have revived their chances of reaching the WTC final at Lord's next year with an unassailable 2-0 lead.
“From our point of view, there is ultimately a bigger carrot in terms of the World Test Championship, so for us every game is really important,” Latham said.
India's lead at the top of the WTC standings has narrowed after its two defeats, with Australia in second place, followed by Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
India reached both finals in the previous two WTC seasons, losing to New Zealand in the inaugural edition and then to Australia last year.
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