Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has urged the Indian selectors to groom players at the domestic level rather than the international level in search of a fast-bowling all-rounder. According to him, the Indian team has been searching for a fast-bowling all-rounder since the days of former India captain Kapil Dev. The player has insisted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the selectors committee need to focus their attention on domestic cricket, which can be the right platform to groom the players.
"If you don't have something, don't go for it. You have to accept and move on. Don't try and create something which you can't create, that is where the problem lies,” Gambhir said in an interview with Sports Today.
The Indian team does have a good crop of fast bowling all-rounders in the form Vijay Shankar, Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur; but none of them have been given chances consistently. Iyer, was an unused bowler in the first ODI against South Africa while he was dropped for the second ODI. Gambhir believes that these changes should be applied at the domestic level rather than the international level.
"We keep talking about not having an all-rounder since Kapil Dev to be honest. So move on and try to develop people at the Ranji Trophy and once they get ready, get them in international cricket and stick with them. Don't keep changing them quickly. We have seen that with so many guys like Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube and now Venkatesh Iyer. We need to move on," the former India cricketer added.
KL Rahul has all the attributes to be a great leader
Gambhir, 40, also reflected on KL Rahul's role as a leader and sees him as a great leader of the side in the future. He also asserted that it is too early to judge him as a leader on the international front after one tough series. Gambhir, who is the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), was present in a virtual program where the team launched its logo.
“What I can see in KL is, not only he has a great future as a batter but also as a leader as well. And this is one attribute that very few people have, so when you can be calm and composed and balanced, this starts reflecting on the entire team.
“It's just too early to judge someone, who has captained in just four games. The most important attribute a leader should have is a balanced mind, who doesn't fly too high or he doesn't go too deep either when you win. And that is the best quality which KL has,” Gambhir concluded.
