No word like 'fear' in Gautam Gambhir's dictionary: GG ready to 'take the bullet' amid packed IND vs NZ ODI, Test schedule

Gautam Gambhir said there is no word for fear in his dictionary as India's tour rolls on.

He wants eight or nine days of red-ball preparation rather than the three on offer.

India play five ODIs and two Tests in New Zealand between November 4 and December 1.

Gautam Gambhir ready to 'take the bullet' as India's New Zealand tour rolls on

India wrapped up the T20I leg in Hamilton on Sunday with a series win and two defeats, and have four days before the ODIs begin in Auckland. Gautam Gambhir was asked about carrying that load across three formats and did not reach for any excuses.

"I am ready to take the bullet… it gets tough. I am also human but I am up for the challenge and that's my job," the head coach told reporters .

He put it more bluntly when the subject turned to the pressure of the job itself, borrowing a Hindi word to make the point.

"There is no word like 'dar' in my dictionary and directory," Gambhir said, before turning the attention back to his players and what they had managed in the opening week.

"The way our boys handled pressure, winning first game after 15-hour flight and one practice session was commendable," he added .

Gambhir wants more preparation time before the Tests

The one area where he did push back was the calendar. India landed in New Zealand with a single practice session before the opening T20I, and face a similar squeeze before the Tests, with the fifth ODI in Tauranga on November 15 and the first Test in Wellington starting four days later.

"Planning is done at BCCI level. Prioritising is important. Every match for country is important," Gambhir said . "Three day prep for red ball is not important. 8-9 days will be good."

He made the same argument about the T20I leg, pointing out that the squad arrived from the West Indies series with one day to adjust and most of the group had never played in New Zealand before. Different weather, different dimensions, different conditions, as he put it.

The BCCI has already split the squads to ease some of that, with a separate group staying back to prepare with the red ball while the ODIs are played.

The Cricket News Opinion: Gambhir is right about the preparation

The scheduling complaint has merit. India arrived after a 15-hour flight, had one session, and still won the first three T20Is, which rather proves his point about what the players managed, not what the calendar allowed.

The red-ball argument is the more serious one. India were whitewashed 3-0 at home by New Zealand in 2024 and have not won a Test series in the country since 2009, and four days between a day-night ODI in Tauranga and the first morning at the Basin Reserve is not an ideal time for preparation.

India vs New Zealand ODI and Test schedule

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