Gambhir Criticized Over Wasted Chance with Kohli-Rohit Strategy: ‘You’re Not a Foreign Coach Who Has to Get His Equation Right’
Gambhir Criticized Over Wasted Chance with Kohli-Rohit Strategy: 'You're Not a Foreign Coach Who Has to Get His Equation Right'
Ashish Nehra slams Gautam Gambhir’s strategy in the Sri Lanka ODI series, questioning his decision to not rest experienced players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Former India cricketer Ashish Nehra did not like Gautam Gambhir’s approach in the Sri Lanka ODI series where India has been pushed into a do-or-die situation. The general approach to using all the resources during a bilateral series is to go with a set playing XI for the opening few matches, get a lead in the contest and then test the bench strength. But what happens if the team trails after the first few games and is pushed into a do-or-die situation? Will testing the bench strength still be a priority?
India will be facing a similar dilemma on Wednesday when they gear up to take on Sri Lanka in the last and final ODI match of the series in Colombo. The home team held the visitors to a tie in the opener and won by 32 runs in the second. India did not change their playing XI for the second game, meaning the likes of Rishabh Pant, Khaleel Ahmed, Riyan Parag and Harshit Rana are yet to make an appearance in the series. Should they be included in the playing XI for the third match, Harshit and Riyan would be making their ODI debuts. On the other hand, Pant awaits his first game in the format since December 2022, and as for Khaleel, he has been absent from ODIs since 2019.
Ashish Nehra slammed Gautam Gambhir for not trying out new players and for insisting on playing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Nehra stated, “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. So it was a good opportunity for him to try out the new players, and Rohit and Kohli could play when the home season begins. I’m not saying it is a wrong approach but it could have been one of the strategies in this series.”
Kohli and Rohit were reportedly set to extend their break from cricket after the T20 World Cup but as per reports, on Gambhir’s insistence, the two cut short their break and arrived in Colombo for the ODI series.
From Gambhir’s point of view, the move seemed logical as he wanted to get a better view of the possible line-up India could have for the Champions Trophy next year, given that the team will only play one other series in the format, in February 2025, against England at home.
Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach of the Indian team last month after Rahul Dravid’s tenure came to an end following the T20 World Cup in June.
