The new head coach of Team India, Gautam Gambhir, has acknowledged that the departure of experienced players is a normal part of the game, and the team must adjust during these changes. Before Gambhir took over as coach, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja had retired from T20 matches after India won the 2024 T20 World Cup. Gambhir was asked if he promotes versatility among players to perform in various formats and stresses the importance of consistent selection across these formats.
“These things are bound to happen as we move forward. However, I can’t say for sure that we will have three separate teams,” Gambhir stated during his first press conference since becoming India’s head coach.
“I believe there will be a change in the T20 format, since Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja are not playing,” he mentioned.
“In 50-over matches and Test cricket, the more consistently we perform, the better. Having more players who can play in both formats is good for the team,” Gambhir explained.
Chief selector Agarkar supported Gambhir’s view: “We don’t choose three separate teams.”
“We aim to find the best combination based on the format being played, whether it’s the same players or different ones. Nothing is decided beforehand. Ultimately, we try to select the best 15 players,” Agarkar clarified.
The discussion about having three different teams arose after noticeable differences in the T20I and ODI squads selected for India’s trip to Sri Lanka. Notably, T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav was not part of the ODI team.
Agarkar acknowledged that Suryakumar Yadav’s name wasn’t brought up for the One Day Internationals, especially with KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer coming back.
“Shreyas has returned, KL has returned, they both performed well in the World Cups. Rishabh is also back. So, the middle order has some really good players,” Agarkar mentioned.
“Right now, Surya is mainly considered for T20 matches,” Agarkar stated clearly.
Team India is set to start their campaign against Srilanka from July 27.
