As India prepare to kickstart a vital three-match Test series against New Zealand, Gautam Gambhir called for the country to change their mindset towards batters while decoding how Test matches are won. The Indian head coach called for the country to change their mindset and talk about bowlers more.

Calling India a 'batsman-obsessed' nation, Gambhir claimed that even if a team puts up 1000 runs on the board, they cannot win a Test match. The 43-year-old further commented that a team can only win matches in red-ball cricket or big tournaments if their bowlers step up.

“This is the age of the bowlers. Batters only set up the matches. It’s very important for our batsman-obsessed attitude to end. If the batters make 1000 runs, there’s still no guarantee that the team will win a Test match but if a bowler takes 20 wickets, there’s a 99% guarantee that we’ll win the match.

"Be it Test matches or any other formats, bowlers win you tournaments. So I hope this era or the upcoming ones, we’ll talk more about bowlers than batters. And I hope the mindset changes over time,” said Gambhir in a pre-match press conference ahead of the Bengaluru Test.

Gambhir addressed the media while celebrating his 43rd birthday on Monday (October 14). This marks Gambhir's first birthday since taking charge of the Indian team as their new head coach. The 2011 World Cup-winner replaced Rahul Dravid in the top job earlier this year. Gambhir was the mentor of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side that won the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) and ended a 10-year drought without the title for the franchise.

The first test of the series against New Zealand will take place from Wednesday (October 16) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The hosts are currently on top of the 2023-25 World Test Championship (WTC) table are looking to further solidify their chances of reaching the final.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Cricket, Sports and around the world.