India T20 Reboot: Two-time World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir believes the road for Virat Kohli and Kl Rahul to return to the t20I set up will be difficult. The Chetan Sharma-led selection committee pushed through India’s T20 reboot, with Hardik Pandya as T20 captain. Gambhir who mentors LSG where KL is captain, believes that there should be no fuss when it comes to dropping senior players. Follow India vs SriLanka LIVE updates on Insidesport.IN
India T20 Reboot: LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir chucks LSG captain KL Rahul out of India T20 World Cup 2024 squad, says ‘It looks tough for Kohli and Rahul to make it’
Speaking ahead of India’s T20 series against Sri Lanka, Gautam Gambhir backed the selectors’ call to axe seniors from the shortest format. While Rohit Sharma is out injured, Virat Kohli sought a break from T20Is. Meanwhile, KL Rahul, who was also vice-captain, was subsequently dropped with Hardik Pandya taking over the mantle.
Despite working with KL Rahul at LSG, Gambhir believes that it tough for the seasoned opener to return. The former KKR skipper said that younger blood like Ishan Kishan, Prithvi Shaw and Sanju Samson should be given longer rope.
“Personally, if you ask me, it looks tough (On KL Rahul, Virat Kohli’s comeback). People like Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan should all be in the mix. Hardik Pandya is there, I’d like to try to get guys like Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tripathi and Sanju Samson into the mix. They can play fearless cricket,” said Gautam Gambhir to ESPNCricinfo.
India T20 Reboot: LSG mentor Gautam Gambhir chucks LSG captain KL Rahul out of India T20 World Cup 2024 squad, says ‘It looks tough for Kohli and Rahul to make it’
Gautam Gambhir further urged Rahul Dravid and the Indian team management to opt for a settled core. While Gambhir believes that the clock has ticked over for Rahul and Kohli in T20Is, they remain crucial for the 50-over format. The 2011 World Cup winner added that India’s famed trio should not take any more breaks before the World Cup later in 2023.
“When you don’t have a settled unit, you start making too many changes. This is what happened in the last two T20 World Cups and even in 50-over World Cup,” Gambhir opined.
Rahul Dravid himself has skipped ODIs despite being a coach. On NewZealand tour, Shikhar Dhawan led with VVS Laxman acting as the coach. Considering that, India have not been a stable side over the last four-five years. In SriLanka series, India will once again miss Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja. Bhuvneshwar Kumar too has been dropped.
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