The series of One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against Sri Lanka were very significant for the Indian cricket team because they marked the beginning of Gautam Gambhir’s time as the new head coach. After Rahul Dravid finished his role as head coach following India’s victory in the T20 World Cup 2024, Gambhir was quickly appointed to the position. Gambhir’s first selection of players included some newcomers, but the ODI team also had two seasoned players, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Although the Sri Lanka tour was viewed as a chance to experiment with younger players and new strategies, Gambhir decided to keep Kohli and Rohit in the team. When asked about this decision, former Indian fast bowler Ashish Nehra expressed that he doesn’t think it was the correct choice to include Rohit and Virat.
In a conversation on Sony Sports after India lost to Sri Lanka in the second ODI match, Nehra mentioned that it was a good opportunity to provide opportunities for young players, and having Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the team was not necessary for this series.
“India’s next series is 2-3 months away, which is unusual for us. So for players like Rohit and Kohli…I think it would have been better to give chances to other players in this series. I understand that Gambhir is a new coach and wants to spend time with the experienced players, but he already knows Rohit and Kohli well. He’s not a foreign coach who needs to establish a good relationship with them.”
“It was a nice chance for him to test the newer players, and Rohit and Kohli can join in when the season starts at home. I’m not saying this way is bad, but it might have been a plan they used in this series,” he explained when asked about how India put together their team to play against Sri Lanka.
