The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 started brightly for Team India, with a resounding victory over Bangladesh in the opener on Thursday. Skipper Rohit Sharma and opening batter Shubman Gill gave a flying start to the team at the top, but No. 3 batter Virat Kohli did not seem to be himself. Kohli and Rohit have been a concern for the management for quite some time. The skipper scored 41 off 36 balls, while Virat could only contribute 22 runs off 38 balls. While India won the match, former coach Anil Kumble had a straight message for current head coach Gautam Gambhir concerning the transition from ‘legacy players’.
Kumble, while talking from the perspective of having held the same position as Gambhir, is of the opinion that it is the duty of the coach to take the ‘hard calls’ when transitioning from the veteran players to the next generation.
“You could say this is a very critical tournament for a coach who will be making those tough calls in the transition phase from the legacy players to the others. But that’s the coach’s job-to make those hard calls,” he told ESPNCricinfo.
“This tournament can hedge out where these seniors would go and where India would look at making those changes in personnel. At this juncture, win or lose, you need to make those calls and make them soon. One needs to start looking ahead in white-ball cricket, especially at the 2027 World Cup,” further said Kumble.
While India are far away from the 2027 ODI World Cup, other than a few bilateral series here and there, this Champions Trophy will be the last ‘big’ event Team India will be part of as for a long time to come. Kumble believes that discussions about the future of certain players should now start to take place after the Champions Trophy ends.
“In any World Cup, you’re looking at building a squad that has played at least 20 or 25 matches together; that’s when you understand the nuances of match situations, and who you can rely on. Ideally, at the end of this World Cup, you must start peeking a little into the future toward the next World Cup. Do the seniors make it there? Or do we give the young players the chance to take the team forward in the shorter formats and build a strong unit? These are the questions Gambhir needs to address,” he said.
“He has a new, young team and lots of players to pick and build on, so he has to start preparing for the World Cup 2027. He did well in T20Is. Suryakumar Yadav was an excellent captain. Another World Cup is still two years away, and this group needs to play together to keep learning about batting order, match situations, and tactics,” he added.
