If the national selection committee wants to look beyond veterans like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul, then “so be it,” according to Indian opener and two-time world champion Gautam Gambhir.
When it comes to the position of individual players in relation to their place in the squad, the player who led the team in scoring individually during both of its World Cup victories in 2007 and 2011 needs more clarity.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not disclosed whether the three players including Rishabh Pant will participate in the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka, which will begin on January 3.
“There needs to be more transparency. There have to be clear lines of communication established between the selectors and the players in question.
It’s fine with me if the selectors want to explore further than these guys, but if not, I understand. In an interview on Thursday with ESPNcricinfo, Gambhir said, “I think a lot of countries have done that.”
Gambhir was confused by the uproar that surrounded the benching of experienced players. “When it comes to the selections and management looking beyond certain players, we make far too much of a fuss about it.
“In the end, it’s not about the individuals, but how you want to go about your plans for the next Twenty20 World Cup (which will take place in 2024), because you want to go in there and win it. In the event that these gentlemen have not been successful in accomplishing that, I believe that the possibility still exists. People of a younger generation, such as Suryakumar, are more likely to be successful in realising that desire.
Gambhir was of the opinion that the three of them would have a difficult time making a comeback in the shortest format at the present time.
When asked about it, Gambhir responded, “Personally, if you ask me, it looks challenging.” People such as Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan ought to be included in the competition.
Since Hardik Pandya is already in the squad, I’d like to focus on adding players such as Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tripathi, and Sanju Samson to the competition. They can play cricket without any trepidation.
Gambhir didn’t fail to poke fun at the “aggressive template” that the present team administration, led by Rahul Dravid, likes to talk about in public forums, but he called it out for being nothing more than lip service.
“We’ve spoken so much about the template and stuff going into the previous (T20) World Cup, that we want to play at a certain template, that we want to play aggressive cricket, but when it came to a crunch game (semi-final against England), all that template went out the window,” he said. “We’ve spoken so much about the template and stuff going into the previous (T20) World Cup.”
He is of the opinion that only the upcoming generation of players can attain this model.
“It’s possible that the new generation of Indian cricketers will be able to accomplish that pattern and play the type of Twenty20 cricket that everyone wants India to play.
It is therefore my opinion that it will be difficult for the remaining guys who have been rested or probably dropped if these guys continue to do well in the opportunities they get.