‘We’re not playing enough T20s’: Gautam Gambhir asks players to ‘stay fit’ after New Zealand series

India head coach Gautam Gambhir asked his players to stay fit and continue working on their game during the month-long break from T20I cricket after India’s 3-2 series win over New Zealand.India won the first three matches to take an unassailable lead in the five-match series, but New Zealand came back to win the last two matches at home.Addressing the players in the dressing room after the fifth T20I, Gambhir praised their efforts and pointed to the limited preparation time and the challenge of playing in unfamiliar conditions.“You can be extremely proud of the effort you put in during the series. To win the series, especially when you had only one day to prepare and played against a quality team like New Zealand in their own backyard, is an amazing achievement. You should be extremely proud,” Gambhir told the players.India also had to deal with several setbacks during the series. Ishan Kishan missed two matches due to injury concerns, while the bowling attack included relatively inexperienced players Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav, who were making their New Zealand debut.Gambhir said India set the tone for the rest of the tour and urged the ODI and Test teams to build on the T20I side’s performance.“You can come back with your head held high. We wanted to win the last two matches as well, but sometimes these things happen. I thought you set the tone for the rest of the tour. I said before the series started that you have a responsibility to set the tone. Now it’s up to the ODI and Test teams to pick up where you left off,” he said.India’s next T20I assignment will be a three-match home series against Sri Lanka in December. The team will be about a month away from T20 international cricket, but Gambhir has asked the players to use the break to stay fit and prepare for the next series.“We know we are not playing enough T20 cricket and now we have a month off. So make sure we stay fit and prepare well for Sri Lanka,” he said.The India coach also told the players not to get complacent after the series win and stressed the need to keep improving as a team.“We cannot take any opposition lightly. We have to continue to grow as a team, think as a team and play as a team,” Gambhir added.India will now focus on the ODI and Test duties against New Zealand while the T20I squad regroups ahead of the December series in Sri Lanka.