‘Very close to my heart’: Why Gautam Gambhir doesn’t want India to forget Test series defeat against New Zealand

Gautam Gambhir says he doesn't want to forget New Zealand series. (Photo: BCCI)

Gautam Gambhir stated that he will never forget India's loss against New Zealand the previous year. With the Black Caps' 3-0 thumping of India, the hosts suffered their first home Test series loss in twelve years, the latest of which was against England in 2012.

Additionally, it was India's first clean sweep at home in Test cricket in over 24 years. It was Gambhir's second Test assignment as head coach since the Bangladesh series. He had succeeded Rahul Dravid after India won the T20 World Cup.

Gambhir went on to say that he doesn't want India to forget that defeat because he thinks it's critical to deny any opposition even the remotest chance to mount a comeback.

“That New Zealand loss was a bit of a shock — it still is very close to my heart. As a coach, I can never forget that, nor should I. I’ve told this to the boys as well — it’s important to look forward, but sometimes it’s equally important to remember the past. Because when you forget the past, you start taking things for granted,” Gambhir said in an interview with Star Sports.

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You should never take anything for granted. I felt that against New Zealand, everyone thought we could just roll them over — and that’s the reality of sport.”

“For me, in that dressing room, we need to keep reminding the boys that New Zealand happened. That’s one of the reasons why we don’t want to give an inch to the opposition now,” Gambhir added.

India have begun the 2025–27 World Test Championship cycle on a steady note under Gautam Gambhir’s leadership. After falling behind 1-2, they fought back to level the Test series in England with a hard-fought win at the Kennington Oval in London, before registering a dominant innings-and-140-run victory over the West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.