Cricket

We will bounce back: Gambhir

After the humiliating loss in Colombo, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir on Monday made a statement that the visitors will find a way to tackle the menacing spin duo of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis in the second Test starting July 31.

“We had a bad Test but now we are very positive. We want to come hard at the Sri Lankans. They have a quality spin attack. Muralitharan is a legend. It will be a fantastic battle because we have guys who can play good spin,” Gambhir said.

The Indians lost the match in less than four days after collapsing against Mendis and Muralitharan but Gambhir insisted that the spin duo was “not unplayable.”

“You have to bat according to your strength. Mentally you have to be very sound when your are playing at this level. The wicket looks similar to the one in Colombo,” he said.

“As an opener, my priority is to give a good start and convert it into a long innings. The previous match, I got a good start but could not convert it. However, in the forthcoming match, I want to convert my start into a big innings,” he said.

“What has happened (in Colombo) is history. We want to just focus on the next Test match with an aim to win it,” he added.

Tags: gautam gambhir, Idea Cup 2008, India, sri lanka