After India’s defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the futures of captain Rohit Sharma, who stepped down during the Sydney Test, and senior batter Virat Kohli, who recorded his seventh score of 20 or less in the series, have come into question.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir expressed his support for the duo but emphasized that the decision rests with the players themselves.
“I can’t comment on the future of any player,” Gambhir said in a press conference following the series. “It’s up to them. What I can say is that they still possess the hunger and passion. They’re resilient individuals, and I hope they can continue to drive Indian cricket forward. Ultimately, as we all know, whatever decisions they make, it will be in the best interest of Indian cricket.”
Rohit has averaged 10.93 over his last eight Test matches with only one fifty-plus score. He spoke to Star Sports at lunch on the second day and said that he had taken the decision to sit out the fifth Test because he thought it would have been hard for the team to win carrying so many out-of-form batters.
Gambhir: “I Always Encourage Players to Participate in Domestic Cricket”
India’s next assignment sees them face England in a T20I and ODI series at home in January-February, followed by their fixtures in the Champions Trophy, hosted by Pakistan in the UAE. For players not included in these squads, the option to play in the Ranji Trophy remains, with the tournament resuming after a break on January 23.
“I always encourage everyone to play domestic cricket,” Gambhir said. “Domestic cricket needs to be given that level of importance. Not just for one match, but if players are available and committed to playing red-ball cricket, they should participate in domestic cricket. It’s that simple.”
“If domestic cricket isn’t valued, you will never produce the players you need for Test cricket.”
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