Gambhir backs Sharma, Kohli for CT 2025

Indian cricket coach, Gautam Gambhir expressed strong confidence in the abilities and longevity of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, emphasizing their importance in upcoming major tournaments i including Champions Trophy 2025 set to be hosted by Pakistan.

Speaking to the media ahead of India’s tour of Sri Lanka, Gambhir highlighted the significant roles both players still have in Indian cricket.

“I think they have shown what they can deliver on the big stage, whether it’s the T20 World Cup or the 50-over World Cup. One thing I can be very clear is that both of those guys have a lot of cricket left in them. And more importantly, the Champions Trophy is coming up and a big tour of Australia, they will be motivated enough. And then hopefully, if they can keep their fitness, the 2027 World Cup is there,” Gambhir said.

Gambhir underscored that the decision to continue playing is ultimately a personal one for Sharma and Kohli.

“This is a very personal decision. I can’t say how much cricket is left in them. Ultimately, it’s up to them. It’s up to the players (to decide) how much they can contribute to the team’s success. Ultimately, it’s the team that is important. Looking at what Virat and Rohit can deliver, they have a lot of cricket. They are still world-class. Any team would want both of them for as long as possible,” he further added.

The former cricketer also touched upon the crucial aspect of workload management, particularly for fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah.

“Workload management for someone like Jasprit Bumrah is important. Rohit and Virat are not playing T20s, so they need to be available for most of the important games. For a batter, if he can play good cricket and be in good form, might as well play all the games. Not just for Jasprit Bumrah, but most of the bowlers, workload management is important,” he concluded.

Agarkar opens up about Jadeja’s future

India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar has clarified that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been rested, not dropped, from the ODI team for the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka.

Despite initial speculation suggesting that the 35-year-old Jadeja had been excluded from the squad, Agarkar reassured fans that the decision was strategic and aimed at giving Jadeja a break before a demanding Test season.

“It would have been really pointless to take both Axar and Jaddu for a three-match series,” Agarkar said.

“He has had a terrific World Cup. Not at all dropped. Either of them wouldn’t have featured in games had we taken him. There’s a big test season coming up. I think probably we should have clarified it when the squad was announced. He is still part of the format. He is a very important player for us,” he added.

Jadeja boasts a remarkable ODI record, accumulating 2,756 runs at an average of 32.42 with a strike rate of 85.06, and has claimed 220 wickets at an average of 36.07 with an economy rate of 4.88.

Despite his impressive contributions, the team management is exploring future options, with Axar Patel emerging as the primary spin all-rounder and Washington Sundar as the second choice.

India’s squads for Sri Lanka series:

T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.

ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.