Overview:
Gautam Gambhir emphasizes the need for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to maintain their scoring in one-day internationals.
India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir wants Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to continue scoring runs in one-day internationals. Kohli was named the Player of the Series for scoring over 300 runs, laced with two hundreds and 1 fifty in three matches. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma amassed two half-centuries. Both players have silenced the doubters, but Gambhir hinted that there was no need to read too much into their performances, considering the next 50-over World Cup is two years away.
“They are world-class players and their experience is needed in the dressing room. They have been performing for a long time. Hopefully, they will continue scoring runs, which is going to be important in ODIs,” Gmabhir said.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad also scored hundreds. When asked about Kohli and Sharma’s place in the 2027 World Cup, Gambhir said, “The ODI World Cup is two years away. It is important to stay in the present, and the two young boys grabbed their opportunities.
“Rutu (Gaikwad) is a quality player, but he has batted out of position. He was in good form for India A, and we wanted to give him a chance in this series. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Yashasvi also has a lot of quality, and we have seen how he has performed in Test cricket. It is just the start of his career in white-ball cricket. He and Rutu have a massive future ahead,” he added.
Having retired from T20Is and Test cricket, there has been scrutiny around the two legendary batters despite them scoring runs in Australia. After being instructed to play domestic cricket to be eligible for national selection, the duo showed their class against the Proteas.
Gaikwad scored a hundred in the second ODI while Jaiswal posted an unbeaten ton in the series decider. However, there is no guarantee that they will play in the next ODI series against New Zealand as they replaced injured Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer. But Gambhir said that it is important to give them chances.
“It is important to give them opportunities whenever possible because we want a group of 20-25 players before the World Cup. But once your captain and vice-captain return, they will be part of the Playing XI. They (Gaikwad and Jaiswal) should be ready whenever they are needed,” Gambhir mentioned.