Mumbai: India's assistant coach Abhishek Nayar stated that the atmosphere remained positive in the India camp despite the series loss to New Zealand.
After experiencing a 113-run defeat to New Zealand in the second Test in Pune, India lost the three-game series 2-0. This loss ended their exceptional 12-year unbeaten run at home, which had seen the side win a record 18 Test series in a row. Despite this shocking loss, the India side was looking to regroup ahead of the final game.
Speaking to media ahead of the final game in Mumbai, assistant coach Nayar stated that the mood in the camp was upbeat.
"Well, I think when you play this sport for long enough and you've been involved in it, you understand there are going to be downers," Nayar said. "There are going to be times when you don't do so well. We all understand it's a sport. We are going to win most times, lose sometimes and the losing will be emphasized but we know it's part of the game. So we just go out smiling and give our best."
Nayar looked to India's recent white-ball turnaround, wherein the side overcame the heartbreak of a home Men's Cricket World Cup final loss in 2023 to win the Men's T20 World Cup in Barbados this year, for inspiration.
"We saw that losing the World Cup in India was a low point in Indian cricket for everyone but then a couple of months later we were world champions. That's how legacies are created. So I feel that sometimes having something like that and then from here moving on and doing great things is part of the legacy of a cricketer and a team. So hopefully we can be part of creating something as special as that in the future,” he said.
“The atmosphere is great, still a lot of jokes and bubbly cricketers in the dressing room and as you watch you will see our sessions filled with fun and nothing has changed," Nayar said.
Nayar addressed questions about India's batting collapse from the previous Test in Pune, where the team slipped from 96-1 to 245 all out in the second innings, defending India's approach with the willow, an ICC report said.
“That tends to happen in this game of cricket. Like I said, sometimes it is the mindset. It may not be perceived from the outside as trying to be aggressive or trying to have intent, but intent is not necessarily swinging at the ball," he said.
"Intent is more about your approach towards the ball. So when people talk about positive cricket or when we talk about positive cricket or playing with freedom, it's not about going and swinging every ball. It's about having the intent of playing the ball to score a run. And then if you don't feel it's not a ball you're going to score a run, you defend it," Nayar said.
With the upcoming crucial tour of Australia where India plays 5 test matches, the role of premium pacer Jasprit Bumrah becomes crucial.
The right-arm fast bowler has already featured in all four of India's home Tests this season, and Nayar answered queries around how India planned to manage the pacer's workload ahead of the big Australia tour.
“With Bumrah, I think in the two test matches he's bowled around you know 20-25 overs, so he's not bowled a lot. Yes, there'll always be a thought process about his workload also we played two games where we've not had five-day cricket," Nayar said.
"It's been more three and a half days, so we've got ample rest but Bumrah is very important to us and the workload will always be something on our mind,” he added.
India will now face New Zealand in Mumbai for the third and final Test of the series, set to begin on November 1.
