Wellington: India under head coach Gautam Gambhir has undergone a massive transition in Test cricket but continues to enjoy some stability in the ODI format. The presence of senior players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer has kept the core intact for captain Shubman Gill as the team firms up its plans for the 2027 World Cup, with the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand.In an exclusive chat with TOI, former New Zealand bowler Kyle Mills opens up about coach Gambhir and the scrutiny his team faces, the changing scene in New Zealand cricket and the reasons for their recent domination.ExcerptsHow do you think India under Gautam Gambhir are shaping up?He’s [Gambhir] always been a tough competitor on the field, without question. No jokes were going around at all because he always meant business on the field. Post-retirement, he entered politics and became a leader. A great tactician, a wonderful player, very professional across all facets of the game, and a tough taskmaster as well. He’s a tough guy.Do you think the scrutiny is fair when results go wrong?I actually wouldn’t think of another sporting team that faces as much scrutiny as the Indian cricket team, across all sports. Obviously, Manchester United have had their challenges in recent years and you’ve got these big teams around the world like the New York Yankees and the All Blacks, but the Indian cricket team certainly gets scrutinised, and Gambhir is the leader of that. So, it’s not an easy task to be coach of the Indian cricket team, but he always has the bit between his teeth, and he’s a tough customer.One last dance for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma on New Zealand soil. Are you looking forward to seeing them in action?It’s going to be a joy to have them here because they’re two wonderful cricketers, and Rohit Sharma is always a cricketer that you actually like watching bat. I think it’s a term that often gets used about Rohit, that he has more time than others, but the reality is he has the same amount of time as everyone else, but he just makes it look easy. Would have loved to see the two of them here for red-ball cricket too.India are now transitioning into the Shubman Gill era. What has been your first impression?I think he’s a beautiful player. He’s got all the strokes. He’s a very charismatic guy. Sport’s a funny game. You never own the shirt. You never own the cap. There are always people just passing through it. You think of Sachin Tendulkar. Go back to Gavaskar [Sunil], Kapil Dev. Then you go to the likes of Laxman, Dravid, Tendulkar. They all just travel through this team, and then there’s been Virat and Rohit, and now they’ve had their turn and now we’re into a new generation, and that’s the beauty of sport.And the IPL continues to ensure a seamless transition…The IPL has done wonders, absolute wonders for the game in India, especially in white-ball cricket. You’ve got not just your star Indian players, but your second-, third-, fourth- and probably fifth-rated players being exposed to international cricketers in the IPL, so that advances their development. We don’t have that here in New Zealand, so it’s a real advantage for India.In the last decade, New Zealand have been a consistent force across formats. What really changed from your playing days?I think you need to point out that the New Zealand cricket teams are now very good, compared to where they used to be. You kind of look at the 80s, we had Sir Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe, who effectively carried that team through a decade’s worth of cricket. A bit of a poor period in New Zealand cricket history through the 90s. But without question, over the last 15 years, it’s been a very good New Zealand cricket team, and I think they’ve been consistent in that as well, across formats.Has there been a massive upgrade in the infrastructure too?Our facilities here in New Zealand are so much better than they were. You couldn’t even describe it. So the guys have great facilities now, great working environments. Through the contract system we have in New Zealand, it’s a real pathway to being a career cricketer here in New Zealand. It’s a real career choice to be a cricketer here in New Zealand now. So I think that’s really added to the depth of New Zealand cricket. We’ve got players competing for spots. Obviously, we’ve had players like Kane Williamson, who has been a wonderful cricketer, and we’ve had Tim Southee and Trent Boult, who have all retired recently, but we’ve definitely got this new wave that’s come through.Rachin Ravindra is a beautiful player, Tom Latham is a hardened international cricketer with a good all-round skill set, and our bowling group is really effective as well. We just need them to stay together and on the park. There’s really good depth in the country now, which has kind of added to possibly why we’ve put some good results…
