Whether Gautam Gambhir will make it to the starting XI for India against New Zealand in the second Test match remains a doubt, but the southpaw has revealed that he is going through both nervousness and excitement. The venue for the match starting Friday is Kolkata's Eden Gardens.
The opening batsman has been selected for the next two Test matches after KL Rahul was forced to make an exit owing to a hamstring injury in his right leg.
The 34-year-old makes his return to the India Test squad after as many as two years. He played his last Test match in August 2014 during India's tour of England. Although he has plied his trade in 56 Test matches for India in his career, he admitted that having a few nerves is not too bad.
"It's a feeling of being nervous. It's a feeling of being excited as well. Obviously whenever you get to represent your country, especially in Test cricket, the most important format of the game, it is very exciting. Very few people get to play with the blue cap on and for me to get that chance one more time is an unbelievable feeling," Gambhir told BCCI's official website.
"As an opening batsman, I have always felt at the start of day 1 if you go in first, you will always have nerves, but they will eventually settle down the more time you spend time in the middle. It is not that someone being experienced won't be nervous, everyone feels that and it is good," he added.
Gambhir took part in regular training drills in the nets under the watchful eyes of head coach Anil Kumble and batting coach Sanjay Bangar and seemed to gel well with rest of Virat Kohli's men.
"I loved my first day at the nets. I had great interactions with most of them. I have played a lot of cricket with most of these guys. Whenever you have runs behind your back, you always feel confident, but Test cricket is a different ball game and it is more of a mental challenge than a technical challenge," the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain continued.
Gambhir further says that he will feel a lot better after getting into the groove. He highlighted that the feeling in the nets is different to the feeling in the middle.
"Most important thing in a team sport is winning the game irrespective of how individuals do. I have always maintained that individuals are only there to contribute. The team is doing well; hopefully we can seal the series in this game," Gambhir added.
