Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has thrown his weight behind skipper Rohit Sharma and veteran Virat Kohli ahead of the squad selection for the tour of England beginning next month.
Since the successive Test series defeats to New Zealand at home and in Australia, the future of the two senior players has been under constant scrutiny. And with the England tour being the start of a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, there has been uncertainty on whether Rohit, who dropped himself for the last Test in Sydney, would make the cut or not. With the selection meeting lined up in the coming days, Gambhir has said that the two “should be part of the Indian team till they are performing.”
When asked about Rohit’s future in the team, Gambhir said any decision in this regard would be taken by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel.
“First things first, a coach’s job isn’t selecting the team. It is the job of the selectors to select. The coach only selects the 11 who will play a match. Neither those who coached before me were selectors nor am I a selector,” Gambhir said at ABP News’ ‘India At 2047′ Summit.
Since taking over as head coach last June, Gambhir has been seen as an influential figure in the dressing room. Part of two World Cup-winning squads as a player, the former top-order batsman was instrumental in India giving the T20 captaincy to ahead of . And when pressed further about the veterans’ future, Gambhir said no player should be pressed into retirement.
“Till the time they (Rohit and Kohli) are performing, they should be a part of the team. When you start and when you end is your individual decision. No coach, no selector, no BCCI can tell you when you should call it quits. If you perform, then why 40, you can jolly well play till 45, who’s stopping you?” he said.
Soon after the , India are scheduled to travel to England for five Tests beginning June 20. With this being a new WTC cycle and the Test side struggling of late, there has been speculation about an impending transition under a new captain. But so far, there hasn’t been any clarity with Rohit understood to be keen on continuing. The India captain hasn’t had a fruitful outing in Tests in recent times with his fitness also being a concern. With regards to Kohli, there are no issues with fitness, but he hasn’t looked the part in Tests, repeatedly being dismissed to deliveries outside off-stump.
There have been indications that the two senior batsmen, who announced their retirement from T20Is after winning the T20 World Cup last year, are keen on continuing in ODIs as well. But given their age and fitness, there is doubt whether Rohit would be able to feature in the next 50-over World Cup scheduled for 2027.
Gambhir, pointing to the recent ICC Champions Trophy triumph in Dubai, where the experienced duo played a key role, said it would ultimately come down to their performance. And unlike Rohit, Kohli seems better placed in terms of fitness and also has form on his side.
“That (playing the 2027 ODI World Cup) will depend on their performance. Only that can ensure their selection. And what should I say about their performance? The world saw how they performed in CT,” he said.
Gambhir has called for all cricketing ties between India and Pakistan to be stopped in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attacks in which 26 people were killed. While both countries haven’t played any bilateral series since 2012, they feature in ICC events and the Asia Cup, but the head coach said even those should be stopped in the current climate.
“My personal answer to this is absolutely no. Till all this (cross-border terrorism) doesn’t stop, there should not be anything between India and Pakistan,” said Gambhir.
Both teams met recently in the Champions Trophy in Dubai after India refused to travel to Pakistan, who were the designated hosts of the tournament. As of now, there is a mutual agreement between both the cricket boards that even in ICC events, any fixture involving India and Pakistan would take place at a neutral venue. With the Asia Cup scheduled for September and the T20 World Cup early next year, Gambhir said any decision would have to ultimately come from the government.
“This is not up to me, this is for the BCCI and, more importantly, the government to decide whether we should play them or not. Whatever decision they make, we should be absolutely fine with it and not politicise it.”
In a sharp attack, India head coach has said that some former players are treating Indian cricket as their ‘personal fiefdom.’
In the eight months he has been in charge, Gambhir has come under criticism with questions being asked about whether he shared the ICC Champions Trophy prize money with fellow support staff. Gambhir, without taking names, came down heavily on his critics.
“I have been in this job for eight months. If results don’t come, I am fine with criticism. It is people’s job to criticise. There are people who have been sitting in the commentary box for 25 years and feel that Indian cricket is their personal fiefdom,” he said.
Gambhir added that there is no need for him to explain whether he shared the prize money or not.
“These people have raised questions about my coaching, concussions (when he left the 2011 tour of England after a head injury), and the distribution of the Champions Trophy prize money. I don’t need to tell this country where I left the money and where I invested it. But this country should know that such people have been working in the country as NRIs for so many years. They earn money from the country and take it abroad. I don’t do security checks or immigration at 11:55 (pm). I will not become an NRI to save tax. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t be throwing stones at other people’s homes,” he said.
