What complacency, questions Gambhir

“In a one-day game, you always need to take chances,” said the Indian skipper of his dismissal in the first one-dayer when he poked at a widish delivery. “Everyone has a different role when he starts off well. If you see Guwahati, it was all about starting well because against Australia, we were 25 for five (in the previous match there), so it’s not about converting those starts into 100s all the while.

“In a one-day game, there will be times when you need to take your chances. The important thing is that I am hitting the ball well and hopefully, I will get a big one. But I don’t think it’s too big a concern for me,” he explained on Tuesday.

Gambhir ruled out any sort of complacency creeping in after victory in the first one-dayer. “It’s a young side and no one can afford to be complacent,” he pointed out. “Maybe teams will start feeling complacent after winning the series, but we are still far away from it. Everyone is eager to perform, so there is no reason for being complacent. It’s an international series and if end up being complacent, I don’t think you deserve to be in the side.”

Having tasted success in his first outing as India’s captain, Gambhir said he was enjoying the challenge. “You do need to take care of the entire unit as a captain,” he said when asked what had changed since his elevation. “As a player, you think only about your game plan and you stick to that.

“But if you are captaining a side, it’s not just about you. It’s about the 11 players on the field and you need to get the best out of them. It’s a challenging job but at the same time, it’s an exciting one. Anyone would want to lead his country and I believe it’s a great honour. Certainly, I have been enjoying it so far.”

Hyderabad were bowled out for 21 by Rajasthan at this ground in early November in a Ranji Plate match, but Gambhir said things were different now. “I just spoke to the curator and he told me that the wicket on which Hyderabad got out for 21 had lots of grass on it and now they have shaved it off. It looks a little on the slower side, it might spin a bit,” he remarked.