Gambhir Admits India Had No Answer to New Zealand’s Pace Duo

New Delhi, November 13, 2026 India head coach Gautam Gambhir has acknowledged the difficulties faced by the Indian batting lineup against New Zealand fast bowlers Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson. Praising their disciplined bowling, Gambhir said the two pacers brought different challenges, with Henry consistently attacking the stumps through accurate deliveries, while Jamieson used his height to generate extra bounce. Their combined efforts kept the Indian batters under pressure and made it difficult for them to find a way out. Highlighting Henry’s performance, Gambhir pointed out that his consistent line and length challenged both edges of the bat. He also referred to Henry dismissing Rohit Sharma through a catch in the slips and beating Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer on the inside edge. Gambhir said, "Look, they both are different bowlers. I think the best part about Henry was that he was attacking the stumps all the time and most of the balls that actually were hitting, hitting the stumps as well and when you are challenging that kind of, when you bowling that kind of length obviously you are challenging both the edges of the bat as well and that is exactly what he did. He got Rohit in slips and then he got Virat and Shreyas beaten on the inside edge as well and I thought that that is something that we need to learn, that how consistent he can be, hit the stumps and keep hitting those pads as well." Comparing the two bowlers, Gambhir explained that Jamieson’s height gave him an advantage in generating bounce, making his bowling style different from Henry’s. He also credited both pacers for working effectively in tandem and creating pressure from both ends. Admitting that India struggled to counter their attack, he said, "And Jamieson was different because he is tall, he got a lot of bounce so you can't compare. And the best part is that they both actually bowled well in tandem as well so there was pressure created from both the ends. Sometimes what happens is if you are not able to create enough pressure from the other end, things can get a lot easier but today I thought it was a completely different thing. They created pressure from both the ends and we just couldn't, we didn't have any answer to both those guys at the moment." Gambhir’s remarks underline the impact of New Zealand’s pace attack, with Henry’s accuracy and Jamieson’s extra bounce proving difficult for India to handle. The coach also acknowledged that Henry’s consistency in targeting the stumps was an aspect the Indian team could learn from.