After the T20I series win over New Zealand, the former India opener said it gets tough during the short turnaround between formats, but he knew what he was signing up for and is hence ready for the challenge.

Gambhir added that he is professional enough and hence there’s no place for terms like fear and fatigue. “In my dictionary, my directory, and my ideology, there is no place for fear, and that word does not exist in my life. I think we are professionals, and I’ve always believed that there are no excuses,” Gambhir said at the post-match press conference after the fifth and final T20I, which India lost by seven wickets at Hamilton on Sunday.

When asked whether he has felt “mentally cooked” while juggling between formats, Gambhir said, “Yes, I have, to be honest, but I am strong enough to manage that. I’m strong enough to take it for as long as I can. That’s how I am built, and I can take pressure; I can take the bullet.

But yes, I am a human being; there will be times when I will feel drained out, but till now I have been able to take it.”

The head coach was also proud of the Shreyas Iyer-led team for winning the series 3-2. India arrived in New Zealand just a couple of days before the series opener in Christchurch, and Gambhir hailed the performance in the opening three T20Is that his team won to take an unassailable lead in the five-game series.

“First of all, it’s an incredible effort because boys got only one day to prepare.

Different conditions, different weather conditions, different dimensions, playing against a quality side like New Zealand in their backyard with the amount of experience they had in T20 cricket, plus most of the boys touring New Zealand for the first time,” said Gambhir.

“My view is that after one practice session, after taking a 15-hour flight, if guys can deliver that kind of a performance, especially against a quality side, I think a lot of credit needs to go to this side; this is an achievement which I think we should always talk about,” he added.

India won the first three T20Is against New Zealand but lost the final two matches in Auckland and Hamilton.

“Shreyas has done a fabulous job with so much inexperience in the bowling lineup because, as a captain, you’re only as good as how your bowlers or your batters perform, especially with an inexperienced attack. I think he’s done a phenomenal job.”

Shreyas took over as the T20I captain from Suryakumar Yadav earlier this year. His captaincy stint did not get off to an ideal start as India lost the series against Ireland and England, but the team bounced back to win the Asian Games gold and the series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand. In between, the five-match series against West Indies ended on level footing.

“When Shreyas took over, he took over a very successful team. A team that had won the World Cup and hadn’t lost a T20I series in two years. Obviously, we had challenging opposition after the World Cup. We gave opportunities to a lot of new guys as well,” said Gambhir.