Friday's three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka will be Gautam Gambhir's first assignment as the new head coach. On the same, captain Rohit Sharma has expressed his views on this very appointment, saying that Gautam Gambhir brings clarity and a vision for the team.
“Look, Gautam Gambhir has played a lot of cricket firstly and then he has been involved with a franchise team as well before sitting at the top. So yes, like I said, it's obviously going to be different from the previous coaching staff. Every human and individual is different. Before when Rahul Dravid joined the team, we had Ravi Shastri.”
“So every individual works differently. I know Gautam Gambhir for a long time now. We played a little bit of cricket together. We have had a lot of chats together as well in the past. Now that he is here, he has got a very clear mind as to what he wants to do with the team, which is very good.”
He particularly focused on the immediate series and went on to say that the team is aiming at using these three games to their best capabilities in order to learn fruitful lessons for their ODI strategy. "We're focusing on these matches and trying to gain insights and experiences rather than planning too far ahead. It's an exciting period for us."
He said his discussions with Gambhir had been regarding team management, addressing what the team needs and where it lacked, and how to prepare for other tournaments. "We have worked out how to approach every game and fine-tune our strategy," Rohit said.
Rohit also responded to questions about Gambhir's behaviour on the field, saying, "Gautam has a great sense of humour and enjoys himself in the dressing room. His personal mannerisms are just that—personal. We shouldn't focus on whether he shows his emotions publicly or not. Each individual has his own way of expressing himself."
The series against Sri Lanka has been one on India's road to the 2025 Champions Trophy. Rohit clarified that though it was a series, not a practice session, and with this series, the team remained focused on playing high-quality cricket: "We're not treating these games as mere practice; perform well, get value out of this series. The quality of our cricket has to be high, no matter what's happening in terms of preparation for anything in the future."
Rohit concluded by emphasizing the need to free up the players and to make them continuously improve. "It's about giving them that freedom of playing, not necessarily worrying about the results. But making sure, as a coach, I am trying to create that environment where players can actually go out there, be themselves, and concentrate on their job which contributes to the success of the team, so everybody does their job properly."
It's a tough call; they have won us a lot of games, says Rohit on Rahul-Pant Decision
Indian captain Rohit Sharma said it would be difficult to pick between K.L. Rahul and Rishabh Pant for the wicketkeeper's role, with the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka slated to start on Friday. He maintained that both cricketers had contributed a lot to India's winning cause in the recent past.Rahul had been the main wicketkeeper-batter of the team in ODIs since his recovery from a quadriceps injury in the Asia Cup last year. In his first innings after returning, Rahul scored an unbeaten century and shared a solid 233-run partnership with Virat Kohli in the Super Four match against Pakistan.
In ODIs, he had amassed 452 runs with two fifties and a hundred. The player also grabbed 16 catches and resulted in one stumping. He won the fielder of the match award twice. The recently concluded 50-over series in South Africa saw Rahul playing dual roles to great effect and captained the side to victory.
Rahul makes a comeback of sorts after the quadriceps injury that kept him out of Tests against England and the same issue that forced him out early in his stint with LSG during IPL 2024. It is still doubtful whether he will keep wickets against Sri Lanka.
Pant last played an ODI for India in November 2022 against New Zealand and then faced a long period out because of the serious car accident he was involved in before getting back to playing in IPL 2024. So, essentially, his coming back into ODIs after nearly a gap of 20 months signals his gradual comeback into the longer formats of the game.
"It is a tough call. Both are quality players. You know the abilities of both players. It's not easy to pick a team or pick a player when you have a quality like that. That's what these two individuals are all about." They are match winners in their own way. They have won a lot of games for us in the past," Rohit Sharma said in the pre-series press conference.
Rohit, Virat Kohli and Kuldeep Yadav make their return to international cricket through the ODI series against Sri Lanka, their first action since the win against Australia in the T20 World Cup in June. Rohit and Virat had signed off T20Is on a high.
"Personally, I have had a good off time from cricket for a bit. After winning the World Cup, it was a great feeling to come back home and experience what we experienced in Delhi and Mumbai. But yes, we have to move on, as cricket moves on. That is what happened after the 2023 ODI World Cup as well."
"There was a lot of disappointment, but we had to move on and look ahead to this T20 World Cup. Now that the T20 World Cup is over, we have to look forward and start thinking about what lies ahead for us as a team. Yes, that is one big tournament coming up, the 2025 Champions Trophy. There's plenty to look forward to."
"For me as well, personally, I'm happy with where I am and how I've prepared myself. Every time that I have come to play a series, this is no different for me. So yes, we have had a good three days here and we have got another day to look forward to under a new coaching staff, which is quite exciting," he added.
He finally added that he did not find any big difference after his retirement from T20Is. "I loved playing that format. I did what I had to do. Now I'm very happy looking forward to the ODI and the Test format.".
"The only difference I feel is that I felt like I've been rested from the T20s like it used to happen in the past, and there will be a big tournament coming up and then we have to get ready for T20s again. I still feel it is like that. So I don't think I'm completely out of the format." Read also | Dhoni Emphasizes Team's Best Interest in Decision on IPL Future with CSK
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