Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) announced Team India's squads for ODIs and T20Is against visitors Sri Lanka on Tuesday. The names of senior players Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are missing from the squad. While Rahul might have been axed owing to his wretched form and Rohit is battling injury, Kohli's exclusion raised a few eyebrows among the cricket fraternity. In 2022, Kohli is the second highest run-getter in T20Is for India. He has accumulated 781 runs in 20 matches at an impressive average of 55.78 in T20Is, this year. The right-handed batter was also the highest run-scorer in the T20 World Cup 2022 where he scored 296 runs in six matches at an incredible average of 98.66 which included four half-centuries.
Speculations are rife that team management might have started looking beyond senior players in the shortest format, to infuse young blood into the Men in Blue ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. However, the marquee tournament is still a long way ahead, former India opener Gautam Gambhir holds similar views about the non-selection of big guns. He spoke to ESPN Cricinfo during an interaction facilitated by Star Sports on Thursday.
"There should be clarity. There should be good communication between the selectors and these players. If the selectors have decided to look beyond these guys, so be it. I think a lot of countries have done that," said Gambhir without mincing words.
"We make too much of a hue and cry when the selectors and management look beyond certain individuals. Ultimately, it's not about the individuals, but how you want to go about your plans for the next [T20] World Cup [in 2024], because you want to go in there and win it. If these guys haven't been able to achieve that, I think you never know. People like Suryakumar, the younger generation can go on to achieve that dream," he added.
{{/usCountry}}"We make too much of a hue and cry when the selectors and management look beyond certain individuals. Ultimately, it's not about the individuals, but how you want to go about your plans for the next [T20] World Cup [in 2024], because you want to go in there and win it. If these guys haven't been able to achieve that, I think you never know. People like Suryakumar, the younger generation can go on to achieve that dream," he added.
{{/usCountry}}After India's pedestrian performance against England in the semi-final of T20 World Cup 2022, where they were routed by a massive ten wickets, Rohit Sharma and Co. were questioned for their tactics. The Men in Blue came under the ire for not playing aggressive brand of cricket. Since then, cricket experts like Gambhir have been backing the selection of youngsters and new comers like Suryakumar Yadav who play fearless cricket.
"Personally, if you ask me, it looks tough. 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 Gambhir.
"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 of the window," he complained.
"Probably the new generation of cricketers might be able to achieve that template and play the T20 cricket everyone wants India to play. So I feel, if these guys continue to do well in the opportunities they get, it will be difficult for the rest of the guys who have been rested or probably been dropped," concluded Gambhir.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has been announced the captain for the T20I series while Suryakumar will be his deputy. The first T20I between India and Sri Lanka will be played on Tuesday, January 03 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.