(BCCI Photo)

Former India pacer Ashish Nehra has voiced his discontent with Gautam Gambhir’s strategy for the ODI series against Sri Lanka. After the second ODI, Nehra was asked on Sony Sports whether he anticipated any changes to the team’s playing XI. Without detailing specifics, Nehra suggested that Gambhir should have prioritized incorporating new talent rather than relying on established stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.“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,” he said as per multiple outlets.

In the interview, Ashish Nehra further elaborated that players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli could have been brought into the team at a later stage.“The next series India play is 2-3 months later, a rare thing for us. So for players like Rohit and Kohli. I feel there was a better chance of giving opportunities to other players during this series,” he added.

Ashish Nehra also noted that Gautam Gambhir’s recent appointment as team India’s head coach might explain his focus on working closely with star players. Nehra acknowledged that Gambhir’s familiarity with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is not an issue, and it’s understandable why the coach would want to spend time with these prominent players.“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,” he explained.

Team India is striving to prevent an ODI series loss to Sri Lanka. Before the Champions Trophy next year, India will play one more ODI series against England, scheduled for February. Meanwhile, the ongoing series against Sri Lanka will conclude with a decisive final game, set to take place on August 7.