Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket PlayersIndia head coach Gautam Gambhir appreciates Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli: ‘Shubman Gill is very fortunate'
A massive endorsement for the veteran duo as chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s tenure is set to end early next month.
Prefer HTon Google
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar is finishing his tenure early next month. Apparently, he was upset that the BCCI decided to stick with Rohit Sharma, contrary to his plans. And going by what India head coach Gautam Gambhir said today is a further boost for Rohit as well as Virat Kohli. If you read deep into what he said, it becomes quite clear that both the players now have BCCI's full backing and are likely to go on right up to the 2027 World Cup, unless, of course, runs totally dry up for them.
India and the West Indies kick off a three-ODI series in Kerala on Sunday, with both Rohit and Virat set to be part of the playing XI. Ahead of the encounter, Gambhir, in an interview with JioStar, praised the veteran duo, even though the question was Shubman Gill-specific. Gambhir began by saying how lucky the India Test and ODI captain was to have those two stalwarts around him, who were ever ready to help him on and off the field.
“In one-day cricket, when you talk about it, he's very fortunate that he's got the likes of Rohit and Virat to help him on the field and off the field as well. And then, more importantly, I think that calmness, I think keeping the emotions aside, because when you're young, sometimes you can actually get dragged into the emotions as well.
"He has actually ticked all the boxes. He has been calm, he has been selfless, he has been aggressive, he has said the right things… he leads by example, not only by runs.
"So I feel that he has done all the right things. Hopefully, he'll get the results as well because he has had a bit of a tough time in one-day cricket. But I am sure, I think things will turn around because he has done all the right things,” Gambhir said.
If you pore over Gambhir's comments…
That’s a massive endorsement from Gambhir, not just for his captain but also for Rohit and Virat. Since all the drama at the Lord’s ODI in July, things have changed for the better for Rohit. In the lead-up, it was reported by a media house that the match was going to be the former India captain’s last. That he had been told he wasn’t part of the team management’s World Cup plans anymore. Rohit scored 138 in that match, and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia has since spoken strongly in favour of the batsman. Later, it emerged, as per reports, that Agarkar wasn't happy with this and wasn't willing to get an extension. Anyway, Agarkar going out and Gambhir praising the duo does indicate that the cricket board now totally wants to focus on cricket, not cricketers.
