Gambhir Says India Not at Desired Fitness Level With T20 World Cup Approaching

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November 10, 2025 0 67

Gautam Gambhir stated that the Indian team’s fitness was not where it needed to be for the upcoming World Cup.

India’s men’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has expressed concern over the team’s fitness levels. With just a few months until the 2026 T20 World Cup, he admitted the side is not yet where it needs to be. Gambhir revealed he has already spoken to the team about the necessary improvements. He stressed that physical fitness directly impacts mental strength in high-pressure games.

He made these comments following India’s 2-1 T20I series win over Australia. The final match was washed out. While India remains unbeaten in T20I series under Gambhir, the Australia tour raised concerns. The hosts fielded a weakened team, with their main players preparing for the Ashes.

“Look, obviously, the primary focus is the two Test matches against South Africa,” Gambhir told the BCCI in an interview when asked about the team’s immediate goals. “They are in the World Test Championship, and obviously, they’re playing really good cricket as well. And we know how important the World Test cycle is, and these two Test matches are very, very important.”

The Test series begins on November 14 at Eden Gardens. The second Test will be in Guwahati from November 22. Gambhir then shifted focus to the major limited-overs tournament ahead.

“And then obviously the next focus is going to be the T20 World Cup, which is going to be at home. So for me, I think these two things are very important. These two formats are very, very important. I’m not saying that we won’t focus on the 50-over format, but yes, from the fitness point of view, I think we still aren’t where we want to be come the T20 World Cup,” he said.

He detailed the conversation he had with the players about reaching peak condition. “And that is exactly the conversation that we had with the boys as well — that we want to be absolutely sharp. We want to be fit, we want to move quicker. The fitter we are, the more mentally strong we are, because come the pressure games, come the pressure situations, the more physically strong you are, the more mentally strong you are. So hopefully you guys know the importance of being fit. We still have three months to be where we want to be, yeah,” Gambhir added.