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Kris Srikkanth sharply criticized Gautam Gambhir, the newly appointed head coach of the Indian cricket team, accusing him of hypocrisy in his recent statements about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Srikkanth suggested that Gambhir had swiftly changed his tune, implying that his new role demanded him to shower praise on the duo, whom he had previously criticized amid their performance lows.
Srikkanth pointed out that Gambhir had been vocal in his criticism of Kohli and Rohit during their lean phases, even going as far as suggesting they might not make his T20 World Cup 2024 team. However, upon assuming the role of head coach, Gambhir’s stance reversed dramatically, now expressing optimism about their fitness for the ODI World Cup in 2027.
Kris Srikkanth criticizes Gautam Gambhir for reversing stance on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel Cheeky Cheeka: “Gautam Gambhir is most hip-hopper. He is a real U-turn man. Before the T20 World Cup 2024, he was saying if Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma do not perform, they will not sit in my team. Then he took a U-turn now, saying there is no player like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. After becoming head coach, he said that both have a lot of cricket left and hopefully they will fit for the 2027 World Cup.”
The ex-chief selector strongly criticized Gambhir for immediately discussing the 2027 World Cup upon assuming the head coach role. Despite this, Srikkanth expressed confidence in Virat Kohli’s ability to participate in the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa due to his exceptional fitness level. However, he remained uncertain about Rohit Sharma’s prospects for the tournament.
Srikkanth further explained, “You are playing like a fool. Will anything happen in the 2027 World Cup? Why are you telling me this now? Virat Kohli’s an absolute champion, and I don’t have any doubt on his fitness. Rohit Sharma’s mindset is also definitely good. Virat will play in the 2027 World Cup, okay? Rohit Sharma, if you say 2027 World Cup, I am not sure.
He is a good player, but his age is 37 presently, and the next ODI World Cup is three more years ahead. He will be 40 years old then. I mean, unless you are a super-fit person like MS Dhoni or Sachin Tendulkar, you can’t play World Cup at 40s. Yeah, Virat Kohli could play in the 2027 World Cup, in my opinion, for sure. But for Rohit, Mr. Gambhir, you went overboard; he will faint in South Africa.”
Kris Srikkanth criticizes Indian selectors for not appointing Hardik Pandya as T20I captain, attributing it to the influence of Mumbai Indians (MI).
Srikkanth weighed in on the decisions of Indian chief selectors Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir regarding the non-selection of Hardik Pandya as T20I captain. He highlighted Agarkar’s emphasis on feedback from the dressing room as a key factor in appointing Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I captain.
Expressing skepticism, Srikkanth questioned whether this feedback truly represented the Indian dressing room or merely the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) perspective. He pointed out that Pandya, who had temporarily captained MI in IPL 2024, was not chosen as India’s T20I captain, suggesting a disconnect in the reasons cited.
Critically, Srikkanth argued that the selectors should have explicitly differentiated between the feedback from the national team versus that of MI. He lamented the lack of clarity and valid reasoning behind overlooking Pandya, whom he regarded as a proven leader. Thus, he remained unconvinced by the explanations put forth by Agarkar and Gambhir.
