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Team India's newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir is preparing for his second innings with the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka in July-August. Ahead of the ODI and T20I squad announcements for the Sri Lanka tour, Gambhir has clearly charted out his strategy, and clearly stated that there will be no player-centric selections for Team India under his coaching stint. Instead, he stressed the importance of choosing players who fit the format and complement the team's overall combination.
Gautam Gambhir's approach to Team selections unveiled
Gambhir also emphasised that they will choose players who naturally play fearless cricket, particularly in ODIs. However, Gambhir highlighted the necessity of having a balanced squad, comprising players who can anchor innings as well as those who can adapt to modern cricket demands. Discussing changes in the game’s rules, Gambhir spoke about the impact of having five new balls and fielding restrictions, noting that these have reduced the role of part-time bowlers and altered traditional bowling strategies. He also mentioned the limited opportunities for reverse swing and the challenges faced by finger spinners in the current era.
“First you need to identify players, who have got their fearless approach as well, probably in a format like 50 overs. You need to have a mixture of players. You need players who can anchor as well. Change in rule has made a huge difference. During that time, you had one new ball. Now you have five new balls with five players inside. So, the role of a part-timer has gone out of the window. You don't see enough reverse swing. You don't see enough purchase for the finger spinners as well,” Gambhir shared these insights in a video recently posted by Star Sports from 2023.
Gautam Gambhir revealed that his approach as India's head coach focuses on identifying players who naturally fit specific roles, rather than imposing a uniform playing style on the entire team. He also emphasised the importance of flexibility in team selection, aiming to create a cohesive unit that can adapt to varying game situations and playing conditions.
“But I always feel, when you talk about this new approach, you got to identify players who can adapt to those roles, or to that template very easily. Some people just cannot adapt to a template so why push them to play a certain way which doesn't come naturally to them. So, for me identifying players and at the same time getting the right mix is very, very important rather than thinking that we have to play in a certain template, so we have to select all the 15 with a similar mindset or a similar template,” Gambhir's statement added.
Gambhir's tenure as Team India's head coach will be marked by a series of big challenges. His leadership will be tested early on with the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 scheduled for February-March. The pressure will intensify as the team prepares for the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 Final. Looking ahead, Gambhir will have the responsibility of guiding the team through the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and the ODI World Cup in South Africa in 2027.
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