The upcoming three-match T20I and ODI series between the Indian cricket team and Sri Lanka will mark the beginning of Gautam Gambhir's tenure as the new Indian head coach, who took over the office as the successor of legendary Rahul Dravid, who ended his run with the Indian team following their historic triumph in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2024. Earlier, it was expected that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma would get more rest and would not be a part of the Sri Lanka series. However, both of them agreed to join the ODI team for the SL series. Former Indian cricketer Pragyan Ojha believes that this is the right move as it will help everyone get a clear picture of how will the Men in Blue side move forward.
Pragyan Ojha on Gambhir asking Rohit and Virat to play in ODI series
Pragyan revealed that Gambhir most likely gave a clarity about his thoughts as he would want to make a clear road map for the Indian team ahead and both senior players honored his request and agreed to join the team from the Sri Lanka tour itself.
“How India will move forward, how Virat and Rohit will look at themselves. Because it is a Champions Trophy, after that, we are talking about the World Cup in 2027, how to reach there, what to do, so that road map will be made. And the best thing is that the clarity of communication will be very good. Because Gautam Gambhir, Virat and Rohit played a lot of cricket together. They know each other very well. We were hearing that perhaps Virat and Rohit will take a break from ODI. But Gautam Gambhir was starting his tenure, so he talked and gave clarity about his thoughts,” said Pragyan Ojha in an exclusive interview with Sports Tak arranged by Sony Sports Network.
Also Read: Exclusive | Sarfaraz Khan's father reveals about his son’s super tight fitness and exercise schedule ahead of Bangladesh Test series
Also Read: Arshdeep Singh likely to be part of India's squad for Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024, check details here
“So both the senior players honored him. So this is a good thing. This shows that there will be clarity in the team. The coach, captain, senior player, the core team, when they think in one direction, you get a good team. When you see the clarity in the team, you think the team can win,” he added.
Gautam Gambhir on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
Even the new Indian head coach was all praise for the duo of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He called them a match-winner. He also expressed his hopes that Virat and Rohit would be available for most matches. This also becomes crucial as the Champions Trophy is just around the corner and there are not many ODI games left for the Indian team.
"They have shown what they can deliver on the big stage. Both have lot of cricket left in them. The Champions Trophy, if they keep their fitness then even the 2027 World Cup. How long they can continue is their personal decision. Looking at what they can deliver, they are still world class and any team would want to have both of them," Gambhir said in his first press conference as head coach.
“I've said it before, workload management for someone like Jasprit (Bumrah) is important. He is one rare bowler, which anyone would want. You want him to play important games. That's why the workload management for not just him but fast bowlers is important. If you are a batter, who's batting well, you might as well just play all formats. Rohit and Virat have retired from T20Is now, so they will play two formats from now. Hopefully they are available for most of the games,” he added.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK
'I think it was just an excuse': Ex- Pakistan captain slams Gautam Gambhir, Ajit Agarkar for Hardik Pandya's T20I captaincy snub
'Was not in any squads...': Sri Lanka speedster reveals how MS Dhoni's CSK helped him for international debut
'Shocked to see his message': Hardik Pandya gives surprise to young India batter during T20 World Cup 2024
