Former India cricket team bowler Ashish Nehra criticised head coach Gautam Gambhir’s approach in the ongoing IND vs SL ODI series. Nehra claimed that Gambhir had gotten his strategy wrong by getting Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play the series while opportunities could have been given to others. Nehra’s remarks come after India’s 32-run defeat to Sri Lanka in IND vs SL 2nd ODI.
Nehra not a fan of Gambhir’s Ro-Ko strategy
Speaking on Sony Sports following India’s loss, Nehra reckoned that Gambhir could have rather given opportunities to other youngsters instead of insisting on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to play the series. He admitted that while Gambhir wanted to spend time with experienced players as the new coach, it wasn’t like he was a foreign coach who had no idea about the duo.
“I know Gambhir is a new coach, and he wants to spend some time with the experienced players, but it isn’t like he doesn’t know the two of them. He is not a foreign coach who wants to get his equation right with Kohli and Rohit,” Ashish Nehra said.
Nehra noted that India’s next series was at least a couple of months away and it have been a good chance to try new players.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli reportedly ended their vacation early following their T20 World Cup win on the insistance of Gambhir. After replacing Rahul Dravid as the head coach, the former Indian star had requested the duo to participate in the IND vs SL series, which happens to be his first assignment. The duo of Ro-Ko returned to action for the ODI series, obliging Gambhir’s request.
Meanwhile, Gambhir is one on the verge of facing his first series defeat as the team’s head coach. After managing to draw the first ODI, Sri Lanka pulled off a spectacular peformance with the ball in the 2nd ODI, taking a 1-0 lead in the series. The IND vs SL 3rd ODI will take place on Wednesday at 2.30 PM IST.