Gautam Gambhir says "there are no unplayable deliveries" after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma ducks

Dubai: India head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to blame the conditions after Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and other Indian batters suffered disappointing dismissals in the fourth ODI against New Zealand, insisting that there are no unplayable deliveries in international cricket.

Both senior batters failed to get off the mark along with Shreyas Iyer as India endured a difficult outing against the Black Caps. Rohit was dismissed for a golden duck, while Kohli also departed without scoring after Matt Henry found the breakthrough.

Henry produced an impressive performance against India, troubling the top order with his disciplined bowling and ability to exploit the conditions. His dismissal of Kohli for zero was among the key moments as New Zealand put India under pressure. He ended the match with 6-27 figures.

However, Gambhir believes the Indian batters should have found a way to deal with the challenge rather than allowing the conditions to dictate their approach.

“There are no unplayable deliveries in international cricket. Matt Henry bowled in good areas but we should be able to negate that,” Gambhir said during the post-match press conference.

The India coach also admitted that the team’s batting collapses were a concern, particularly with the World Cup approaching and the players needing to become comfortable in challenging conditions.

“You are always concerned when you get bundled out for 90 odd. These are conditions close to World Cup. Even previous game we lost seven wickets, it’s a concern,” he added.

India’s struggles were not limited to the fourth ODI, with Gambhir pointing out that the team had also lost seven wickets in the previous match. The repeated batting failures have raised questions about the consistency of the top order.

With major international assignments ahead, India will be keen to address those concerns and ensure the batting unit can handle different conditions.

India will next face New Zealand in the fifth and final ODI of the series on Sunday, November 15, at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The Men in Blue currently lead the series 2-1, which means they can either win or draw the tour but won’t face loss in the series.

For Gambhir, the message was clear: international cricket will always present difficult challenges, but the batters must find ways to overcome them rather than label deliveries unplayable.