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Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra discussed the new approach under head coach Gautam Gambhir, noting that senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are not being rested as they were previously. Chopra highlighted that Gambhir has made it clear that the practice of rotating seniors out for bilateral series is no longer in place.
Recently, the Indian team played a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which didn’t go as hoped but marked the beginning of Gambhir’s tenure as head coach following the T20 World Cup 2024.
In an unexpected decision, India announced a full-strength squad for the series against Sri Lanka. This choice was notable because it deviated from the usual practice of resting senior players and giving younger players a chance in series against lower-ranked teams.
Under Gambhir’s leadership, however, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were included in the squad. Aakash Chopra observed that, unlike under former coaches Rahul Dravid and Ravi Shastri, who often rested seniors for bilateral series between ICC events, Gambhir’s approach ensures that senior players remain in the mix. Chopra elaborated on this in a video on his YouTube channel.
“What can be the path ahead? What can be the blueprint? You got to know some things about that. If you see the tenure of Mr. Rahul Dravid. In fact, before that, if you see the tenure of Mr. Ravi (Shastri), you will get to know that, if there was an unimportant bilateral series somewhere, India is playing against Zimbabwe, India is playing against Sri Lanka, the series that has no immediate consequences, the World Cup is not going to start soon and, there is nothing special.
“There were no senior players. Everyone was asked to rest. You go and rest. And, after that, we shall think about it. So, the ICC events, especially in limited overs cricket, in between 2 events, you rarely, unless it’s a big series, if it’s an okayish series, you say, leave it. Let the kids play. Let’s try new people. That experiment continued. But, it didn’t happen here. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were seen playing after a month of the World Cup. Now, you can also say that it’s the year of the Champions Trophy, there are very few ODIs. So, they should play.”
Gautam Gambhir has decided this – Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli not getting rested
Aakash Chopra remarked that India did not derive much benefit from the Sri Lanka series, considering the Champions Trophy is still far off, labeling the series as effectively inconsequential. He suggested that the inclusion of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the series wouldn’t have altered the outcome. Chopra observed that Gautam Gambhir has opted for a policy where any player who is fit will participate in the series.
“But, let’s also be honest that series was in August, the Champions Trophy will be in February. The next ODI series is at the beginning of February. Whatever happens in this series will be null and void now. You won’t learn anything from here. Now, whether Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli would have played or not, it wouldn’t have made a difference in the selection of the Champions Trophy or our performance.
“There are 10 Test matches in between, a lot of cricket will be played. Rohit and Virat will play all the matches. I am thinking 10 out of 10 test matches. It makes no difference. Gautam Gambhir has come. So, Gautam Gambhir has decided this and declared this. He has told everyone that now, you won’t get rest like this. If you are thinking that you’ll skip an India seires, so, that won’t happen. If you are fit, if you are available, please come and play,” he concluded.
