'Happy with my fitness' - Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir, the India opening batsman, has said he is happy with his fitness and the next step in his recovery from injury is putting bat to ball again. Gambhir missed the third Test against Sri Lanka earlier this year and the second Test against Australia because of knee problems. He has been named in the side that will take on New Zealand in a three-Test series starting November 4 in Ahmedabad.

"It's important to get back into the rhythm," Gambhir told the Indian Express in an interview. "I have increased my batting time at the nets and am happy with my fitness."

Gambhir said it was very frustrating to sit and home and watch India playing. "I watched every bit of the Visakhapatnam game [against Australia] and I missed being part of the team. To be honest, missing out on a game after being dropped feels bad but to sit out with injury and watch other people play feels even worse."

Gambhir chose to rest his knee in the light of the upcoming assignments - the potentially tough tour to South Africa and the World Cup. He has also spent a lot of time at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, undergoing rehabilitation.

The biggest challenge, according to him, will be starting from scratch after the layoff. "When you go out to bat in a match after a long break, you just try to test if you still have the old touch. When you come back from a break, you need time to get used to things around you. If you look, I haven't played much in the last three months. It's a challenge that I am now looking forward to meet."

Gambhir believed he had done enough to merit a place in the side for the 2011 World Cup that will be hosted in the subcontinent, but was quick to add that the other series were equally important. "It is not just about playing the World Cup but it's about being in good form and being absolutely fit. I plan to build on it from this New Zealand series, then to South Africa series and so on."

Gambhir thinks the BCCI's proposal to send India's Test players to South Africa a week ahead of the tour is a great idea. "[If ] you go to South Africa after playing in subcontinental conditions you need to adjust. The more time players get to acclimatise themselves in those conditions, it will be fantastic preparation."