"My job is to win trophies, not views and likes": Gambhir responds to criticism ahead of second Sri Lanka Test

Colombo [Sri Lanka]: India head coach Gautam Gambhir said that his focus is to win trophies for the country rather than focus on external criticism, as he addressed questions about being under scrutiny ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Saturday, Gambhir said he does not pay attention to outside noise and remains focused on delivering results for the team.

The Indian head coach has faced criticism during his tenure as head coach, but he stressed that the team's success remains the only measure that matters.


"My job is to win trophies, not views and likes. That's all I believe in, and that is the difference between me and everyone," Gambhir said.

On concerns over frequent fitness issues among players and the absence of key members due to injuries, Gambhir said discussions have taken place to ensure India's best players are available as much as possible.

"We've had discussions about everything. It's not with BCCI but overall that we want our best players to be playing as much cricket as possible. And it's good for Indian cricket as well," he said.

Several key players are currently dealing with injuries, with Jasprit Bumrah, Sai Sudharsan, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar among those facing fitness concerns.

Gambhir added that consistency in player availability and continuity in the squad would help India achieve better results.

"Because if there is continuity and if we can put our best players on the park as regularly as we can, it is only going to help us get the results as well," the head coach added.

Coming to the first Test, India defeated Sri Lanka by 165 runs, with Manav Suthar's maiden 10-wicket haul and Devdutt Padikkal's 167 in the first innings playing key roles in the victory.