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Unperturbed by the criticism and 'external noise' after consecutive poor results, Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir believes that his entire focus is on winning trophies for India. After Gambhir became the head coach, India had to face defeat in the home Test series against New Zealand and South Africa, while the team also suffered a crushing defeat on the Australia tour.

Drawing a 2-2 Test series against England on their soil has been a positive aspect of his tenure. A day before the second Test against Sri Lanka starting on Sunday, when Gambhir was asked about his criticism, he said, 'Criticism? My job is to win trophies. That's all I believe in and that's all I care about. That's the difference between me and everyone else. I don't care about views or likes.

What did Gambhir say on his conversation with Agarkar?

When asked about his conversation with selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar, Gambhir said that the focus of the discussion was on taking Indian cricket forward and taking the right decisions. He said, 'I wish I could tell you about the conversation between the head coach and the chairman of the selection committee. This conversation just focuses on how we want to move forward in cricket, what is important and what are the right decisions that need to be taken for the betterment of the game. Therefore, at present our discussion is completely limited to cricket and our thinking regarding the game in the future.

Gambhir admitted that the issue of frequent injuries to players has been discussed at the top level of the team management. He said, 'In this series also we have been deprived of the services of many players. There has been some discussion on this matter. This is not just a matter of BCCI, but overall our effort is to ensure that our best players play as much cricket as possible. This will maintain continuity in the team and we will be able to move our best players in the right direction on a regular basis.

We are going through change – serious

India is currently ranked fifth in the World Test Championship table. Above that are Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh. However, Gambhir refused to give much importance to the rankings. He said, 'Ranking does not matter. We are not struggling. We have played satisfactory Test cricket since the England tour. I think we are going through a period of change.

Gambhir further said, 'I am sure that the people sitting in the press box and commentary box also know that we are going through a period of change. There will be ups and downs during this period but we know in which areas we have to move in the right direction.

Will Kuldeep play or not?

Gambhir did not give a clear answer on whether India will retain its successful team combination for the second Test or not. However, he backed under-pressure left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav. He said, 'We will try to field the best bowling unit which can get us 20 wickets.'

In the Galle Test, Kuldeep bowled 25 overs including both the innings. On the question of giving him fewer overs, Gambhir said that it is the right of captain Shubman Gill. He said, 'Kuldeep is a good bowler and sometimes it also depends on the captain.'

Gambhir said that when the team takes the field with five specialist bowlers, it is natural for one bowler to get relatively less bowling. He clarified that this does not mean that the bowler was not doing his job, but it is the captain and the team management who decide which bowler should be used most effectively according to the circumstances.

Supporting Kuldeep, he said, 'For a long time we have been seeing that Kuldeep is working in the right direction. We know how successful and effective he can prove under favorable circumstances.