Mhambrey also said India had ticked a few important boxes in the 100-run win over England.
“It’s important to carry some momentum. You need to keep ticking some box or the other in every game. This was a challenging game. We needed this game. The first time we batted first, defended a small target, in tough conditions, in the dew… a lot of things were against us. Just the way we came back and fought was incredible. Every game is important for us.
“The middle-order was also tested. This was an opportunity but conditions were difficult. The ball wasn’t coming on to the bat, it was turning. There are some areas where we can still improve and we will learn from here and talk about them and work on them.”
With the absence of the injured Hardik Pandya necessitating some changes in the lineup, Shami came off the bench in Dharamsala against New Zealand to take 5/45 and then took 4/22 in the dominating win against England here on Sunday.
“The decision the management took was (that) we pick teams looking at the wicket, the right combination on that wicket,” Mhambrey said, “Earlier also, Ash (Ashwin) missed out, Shami missed out. It’s very difficult to take such a call but in the team’s interest you have to take the call. That’s the communication that has been with the players… they are informed accordingly. He (Shami) knows that.”
On how the back-room staff plans strategy and tactics with the likes of Shami and Bumrah, Mhambrey said, “It’s all about man management at this level. They’ve played enough cricket. They understand their bowling in and out. It’s not about the technical but the tactical bit (that is important). You have to execute your plans. The credit goes to them. A lot of discussion and work is done behind the scenes but it’s all about the execution.”
