While India's batting line-up isn't an issue going into the five-match ODI series against New Zealand, their lack of experience in the pace department could prove an issue. The visitors are missing the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, which means they'll have to rely on a fairly inexperienced pace battery. But head coach Gautam Gambhir isn't looking for any excuses. In his eyes, if India do well in the series, then the young bowling attack has got to take the most credit.

On November 4, India kick off their ODI series against New Zealand with Mohammed Siraj spearheading their pace attack. The likes of Arshdeep Singh, Auqib Nabi, Anshul Kamboj and Gurnoor Brar will have big roles within the bowling department. Whilst Siraj does have some experience from 51 ODIs, everyone else will have much less international experience. Auqib and Kamboj will have played only one ODI, Gurnoor nine and Arshdeep 18.

Gautam Gambhir backs India's inexperienced bowling attack

While Gambhir admitted that it may be one of the least experienced bowling attacks India have had in recent ODIs, he feels that playing in the international arena should be about overcoming challenges.

“It's important that I win every series. If you look at it, it's an uphill task. We probably have one of the least experienced bowling attacks in ODIs,” he said.

“Nobody's going to say it, but if you look at it…Auqib Nabi has played one ODI. Anshul Kamboj has played one game. Gurnoor has played 10 matches (nine). Only Arshdeep has played the most matches for us. He's played 18.”

The lack of Bumrah and Pandya will definitely hurt the experience of the side but also having to play a Test series in New Zealand will mean they will have to manage their workload. However, Gambhir made it clear that he doesn't want to forget the impact of the young bowlers. With New Zealand often being difficult for visiting batsmen and bowlers, India taking wickets could be key.

“If we do well in the one-day series, then we will give credit to this bowling attack. We will give credit to these boys. We've got experience in batting. We've got a lot of experience in batting.”

“When you come abroad, your bowlers win the series. One-day and Test cricket. If we do well in one-day cricket, we should give a lot of credit to these bowlers.”

Gambhir's comments show just how important the young pace attack is heading into the 2027 ODI World Cup. The likes of Auqib, Kamboj and Gurnoor will all want to stake their claim in this series and prove they can overcome the challenges of playing abroad.

Gautam Gambhir works with Abhishek Sharma on weakness against off-spin

In addition to talking about the bowling resources, Gambhir also gave some insight into his work with Abhishek Sharma to become a more complete batsman. The young opener showed signs of improvement against the off-spinners during the recent 5-match T20I series against New Zealand, particularly against Michael Bracewell.

Having been a great spinner himself during his career, Gambhir has been working with Abhishek in the nets.

Gambhir feels it is vital for batsmen to constantly improve as they are always being studied by the opposition.

“Obviously, Abhishek hasn't done too well against off-spin. The more he improves, the better he will become a player overall. You want to constantly improve your game because the opposition are constantly studying you.”

“How you bat, how you score, how quickly you bat. If you improve your game, if you improve your game in different areas, if you improve against different bowlers, you will be one step ahead.”

Gambhir explained that talks started after Abhishek had issues against the off-spin of Bracewell in the first game of the T20I series. However, instead of being a big technical issue, the coaches wanted to make some tactical changes.

“This is what I'm talking about. In the first match, he was bowling off-spin. Obviously he got a bit tied up. We just talked about some very tactical and technical things.”

Gambhir will want to improve the confidence of the young bowling attack but also ensure that young batsmen like Abhishek continue to improve. With the 2027 World Cup coming up, this tour of New Zealand will provide an opportunity for them to test their depth.