IND vs NZ: 'First priority always to Win' - India head coach Gautam Gambhir praises mentality despite 46 debacle

India head coach Gautam Gambhir opened on India's dismal batting outing in the first innings of the first Test against New Zealand.

India were bundled out for just 46 runs in Bengaluru. Despite scoring their lowest-ever score on home soil, Rohit Sharma and his boys rallied back in the 2nd innings, albeit wasn't good enough to save the Test match.

As India now take on the Kiwis in Pune, head coach Gautam Gambhir spoke about the batting mishap in the match but praised the team for their mentality to chase the match even after such a disadvantage early on.

"That's why we call cricket, or rather sports in general, a great leveller. If you enjoy days like we had in Kanpur, then you also have to accept days like the one we had in Bengaluru. But the good thing was that even after being bowled out for 46, we were still looking to win the Test match. That was important, and that's the kind of cricket we want to play," Gautam Gambhir said.

The former India opener further added that the side focuses on playing positive cricket and stressed the winning mentality which is always the first priority for the team.

"I had said earlier that our first option is always to win, and the second option is a draw. If you look at the second innings as well, there was no intention of just playing for two and a half days. We were thinking about how we could win the game. In fact, if you ask me, we were probably 100 runs away from making the match. So, I don't think many teams would think that way after being bowled out for 46, when they still had to bat for more than two and a half days. But that's the quality of cricket we want to play going forward," the coach added.

It will be a big challenge for the Indian boys as they look to restore parity in Pune. The good thing for India is that both Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant are fit and are in contention to play.