gautam gambhir – Artifex.News

I rely on my instincts, do not depend on data: Gambhir

admin — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 22:09:00 +0000

India’s coach Gautam Gambhir, right, and BCCI Senior Men’s Selection Committee Chairman Ajit Agarkar during a training session on the eve of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 final on March 7, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Gautam Gambhir said he relies primarily on his instinct when making decisions as a coach, stressing that he backs his judgement without depending heavily on data.

Gambhir noted that every leader brings a unique vision and his approach on how the Indian team plays, conducts itself and operates reflects his personal philosophy during his tenure. “I think my instinct is what I trust the most. I don’t look at data, I don’t look at anything else. If my instinct says that it is the right call for the team, I will back it to the hilt. If it doesn’t work, I’ll be the first one to put my hand up and say, yes, it didn’t work.”

““Everyone has different ways of looking at things. My idea, with me being the head coach now, is my vision for the team. It could be completely different to someone who has run the show before me or some one who will run the show after me,” said Gambhir.

No tailoring pitches

Gambhir dismissed the criticism that Indian wickets were ‘tailored’ to suit the home team, asserting that such claims are often made to create controversy and attract views. “I don’t agree to that. Why would you tailor something? And honestly, India is too good a team to be even thinking about something like that and in the T20 format, whether you look in Australia or South Africa, we made 200 runs. If we make 200 runs in India, then the wickets get tailored.”

“I think some people want to create a controversy. That’s why I say, the statements given for views and TRPs should not be acceptable,” he added.

“In ICC tournaments, they control the wickets. It’s not the BCCI that controls the wickets, and in bilaterals, especially in the T20 format, it is a batter’s game. No one wants to come and watch a 120-run T20 game. Everyone wants to watch that high-scoring game.”

Gambhir lauded Suryakumar Yadav as a ‘phenomenal leader’. “I think he’s made my life a lot easier in this format because the way he keeps the atmosphere really light, handles the boys and has conversations with them, I think that is fantastic quality to have because then some one like me can focus on the tactical things.”

“Surya and I worked together for a long time when I was captain with KKR, and he was the vice captain. So I know how he operates,” he said.

Published – March 12, 2026 03:39 am IST

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Gambhir and McCullum might still be undone by the old metric

admin — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 19:05:00 +0000

Those calling for the heads of contemporary cricket’s two most influential coaches, India’s Gautam Gambhir and England’s Brendon McCullum ignore that the metric by which success is measured might be changing. England lost the Ashes series in Australia while India’s recent loss to New Zealand followed losses at home and away.

Sometimes it seems that today’s coaches are not judged on results alone — although Gambhir must hope that India win the World T20 next month so he can breathe more freely. They are judged on team culture. Are the players happy? Are they improving? Are they expressing themselves?

McCullum has said he is not for “being told what to do.” That sounds like something Gambhir, less articulate and more aggressive, might say too.

A consequence of the modern game’s formats and data-driven approach is the modified role of the coach. The cricket coach once existed in the margins. He was there to oil the machinery, not redesign it. The captain ruled, the selectors ordained, and the coach was merely the man in the background, often in a floppy hat, occasionally blamed when nothing else worked.

The modern coach has moved from the shadows to the centre as strategist, psychologist, data interpreter, public speaker, and damage controller. In the amateur era, coaching was considered unnecessary. Great players were assumed to be self-explanatory texts. A coach, if appointed, was often a senior figure whose authority came from past deeds rather than present ideas. He was there to nod wisely, occasionally say “well played”, and ensure the nets were rolled properly. The captain decided the team, the batting order, and the tactics.

Curator of knowledge

Video analysis, fitness metrics, opposition data, and the tyranny of spreadsheets have transformed the coach into a curator of knowledge. Someone had to connect the numbers to the humans. The captain still led on the field, but the coach now shaped strategy. Preparation was power. T20 compressed authority. The coach, who lived in the future, suddenly had more influence than the captain who lived in the present.

Players are brands, investments, and fragile assets. They are managed across formats, franchises, and national loyalties. Someone must coordinate all this to keep chaos at bay. Welcome, the McCullums and the Gambhirs.

The relationship between coach and captain is crucial, but they are human beings, with egos and failings. When tensions arise, it is unclear who ranks higher. This ambiguity is new, and cricket is still adjusting to it.

A Virat Kohli as skipper is unhappy with an Anil Kumble as coach, and the latter loses his job. A Gambhir possibly has issues with Rohit Sharma, and out goes the captain. Gambhir is the closest cricket has had to a football supremo. This has to do as much with his cricketing credentials as his political ones as a prominent member of the ruling party.

England’s coach thinks up a system first and then squeezes his players into it. Bazball is not everybody’s cup of tea, but it was successful. Many who supported it initially are its biggest critics now. This might qualify as bad faith, but critics are human too. If McCullum loses his job, what made England cricket so attractive might be jettisoned.

Skipper Ben Stokes has been supportive of his coach. Indian captains rarely express opinions beyond the ‘official’, so we don’t know what they think.

Losing coaches often say that a coach is only as good as the players under him. Had India won the last Test series in England (they drew 2-2), both debutant skipper Shubhman Gill and coach Gambhir would have received credit, although how much each got is not easily calculated.

And that’s the issue. You can’t put a number on team spirit, culture etc. except by the old metric. Team spirit leads to wins. The culture in a winning team is fine. Sometimes the abstract is easier to understand than the concrete. Those asking for the heads of McCullum and Gambhir are saying in effect that only results matter.

Reality in cricket has moved beyond the methods to calculate it. The important question belongs to the old metric, however: Did the decisions lead to victory? McCullum and Gambhir are caught in the cleft between process and outcome, between the old and the new.

Published – January 21, 2026 12:35 am IST

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The time has come to split the coaching job in Indian cricket

admin — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 19:07:00 +0000

In sport, coaches usually adapt a system to the strengths of the players available rather than the other way around. Players come with different skill sets: the left-arm spinner who is also a terrific fielder, the frontline batter who can bowl a few holding overs and maybe even pick up a wicket or two and so on. It is the coach’s job to understand his players well and use them where they are most likely to mesh their skills to win matches.

All that might seem obvious. But some coaches like to disrupt the pattern. Greg Chappell was fond of moving players around in white ball cricket changing the batting order, for instance, so everybody is prepared for any match situation. India’s current coach Gautam Gambhir does that sometimes too.

Experimentation

Yet, at the end of the year, India, who lost more Tests than they won are yet to find a settled No. 3 in any format. The suspicion remains that Gambhir is trying to squeeze his players into a pre-determined system and not finding one that suits his players. Experimentation — a word being constantly thrown at Gambhir’s face in criticism — isn’t such a bad thing. With the World T20 just a few weeks and a few matches away, it is inevitable. But a coach needs to keep an open mind and ensure he has enough data for selectors to choose the right combination.

Sanju Samson, the smoothest (for want of a better term) batter in the national team since Rohit Sharma finds himself in the wilderness now. Has the coach got enough data to either drop him from the squad or use him as batter or wicketkeeper? There is very little you can learn of a player’s form when he spends all his time in the dugout. He deserves to be told if he has a future; so does Indian cricket.

White ball cricket, especially T20, is a natural platform for experimentation given that Test players need more time to mature. Here you can hit the right note early through a combination of luck and skill.

Currently there are two kinds of T20 players. The first began as First Class cricketers and then adapted to the demands of T20. Most bowlers in the Indian team belong to this category. An interesting case is that of Varun Chakaravarthy who is 34 and came through the TNPL and IPL having lost some years to academics. He is now the No. 1 T20 bowler in the world.

The most successful batter of this group is skipper Suryakumar Yadav who invented shots, played them with confidence and was for long the No. 1 batter in the format.

Attacking game

The second group is the T20 generation. Abhishek Sharma, who began his IPL career as a 17-year-old, and has a strike rate of nearly 190 in T20 Internationals is the natural here. This is the generation of varying ages but identical attitudes to playing attacking cricket, unafraid to go for their shots from the first delivery and most comfortable in the shortest format. Failure is not a stumbling lock. Tilak Verma, Rinku Singh, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre all profess a philosophy distinctly different from the previous generation. They may or may not save a Test match, but they will strike their way to many T20 victories.

In cricket, there is a mythical delivery called the ‘unplayable’ ball. Those named above are batters capable of the unplayable shot, one that didn’t seem possible till they played it. Suryavanshi is not yet 15 and is currently setting the world alight at the Under-19 Asia Cup (50 overs). This is an excellent supply line to the senior team. At least a couple of players from this squad, all born in this century, deserve to be promoted to the senior team, and promoted early.

Now that players have become more specialised, with few overlaps between the Test team and T20, it may also be time to split the coaching. Thus, Gambhir for white ball matches, and someone like V.V.S. Laxman for Test cricket.

India do not play a Test till August next year. For a while the conversation will be about T20, with the World Cup in February next.

Published – December 17, 2025 12:37 am IST

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Brilliant Bavuma’s message for India: Be careful what you wish for

admin — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 19:00:00 +0000

In the 2012-13 series against England, when skipper M.S. Dhoni asked for a turning track at Eden Gardens, the curator Prabhir Mukherjee told him this was “immoral.” Coach Gautam Gambhir’s instructions, however, were taken on board by Mukherjee’s successor, but India lost again, making it four in six at home.

Visiting spinners claiming more wickets than Indians on home tracks is not a recent phenomenon. India lost to Australia in 1969-70 despite fielding the great spinners Erapalli Prasanna (26 wickets), Bishan Bedi (21), and S. Venkatraghavan and better batters against spin in the line-up. Ashley Mallett (28) and John Glesson (10) were the successful spinners while medium pacers Graham McKenzie and Alan Connolly had 38 wickets between them.

“Better batters against spin” turned out to be an exaggeration then, as it appears to be now. The Indian spinners kept telling their batters, as Bedi often reminded us, “Please give us at least 250 runs to bowl at.”

Challenging the home team

In the last century, home tracks often challenged the home team. Richie Benaud (23 wickets to Vinoo Mankad’s 11 and Subhash Gupte’s 12) in 1956 (Australia won 2-0), Derek Underwood (29 to Bedi’s 25) in 1975-76 as England won 3-1 are other examples. Just over a decade ago, England won a series in India after 28 years thanks to Graeme Swann (20 wickets) and Monty Panesar (17). By themselves these statistics may not tell the whole story, but together they point to a pattern, perhaps suggesting the adage about spin in India might not necessarily be true.

It is also useful to remember that just as India’s game against pace and swing while playing abroad has improved well enough to win them series in Australia and England, the preparation against spin by visiting teams has seen a sea-change too.

Gambhir might have, by his own admission, got the wicket he wanted in Kolkata, but you have to be careful what you wish for. If two spinners cannot do the job, there is little point in picking four, at least one of whom is bound to be under-bowled, and only one can be classed a genuine Test all-rounder.

So where did India lose the Test? When they were dismissed for 189 in the first innings? When they collapsed in the second? On the third morning, India took their foot off the pedal, allowing South Africa to score 60 runs. Some of their intensity was gone. India seemed to feel it was only a matter of time, as if their win was pre-ordained and South Africa’s batters would merely have to play out the roles allotted to them.

Missing a trick

This is a dangerous attitude in Test cricket. Things don’t just happen, you have to go out and make them happen. Rishabh Pant, normally a proactive captain might have delayed bringing on Jasprit Bumrah. You start the day’s play with your best bowler; especially against the bottom half of the batting. That is woven into the fabric of strategy.

Gambhir may have been right when he said that the 124 to win was gettable. Clearly he didn’t explain how and why well enough to his batters. South Africa were superb, India choked.

Temba Bavuma didn’t get to lead his team to ten wins in 11 matches by hanging around and allowing things to happen. He made things happen. His captaincy is a lesson for both Pant and Gill, the latter forced to watch from his hospital bed (if at all). Quietly, professionally, Bavuma went about his business. He should have been Player-of-the-Match as much for his captaincy as for his batting. In Marco Jansen and off-spinner Simon Harmer he had men for the job. Their self-belief was evident.

Indian batters tend to look down upon off spin, viewing it as fodder in any format. Perhaps that’s why Washington Sundar was given just one over on a helpful track.

India were once seen as tigers at home, but lambs abroad. The turnaround has been startling. If Gambhir is beginning to feel insecure, he has time enough to look afresh at the team’s attitude. It ain’t over till the fat lady sings is a cliché in sport for a good reason.

Published – November 19, 2025 12:30 am IST

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Ironical, but Rohit and Kohli will need to keep proving themselves

admin — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0000

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli celebrate after winning the third ODI against Australia on October 25, 2025
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli haven’t made it easy for the selectors. Had they failed in Australia, Ajit Agarkar and company would have found it easier to say: sorry folks, it’s time to go. Had only one of them succeeded, the pressure on the other to quit would have been greater. Alternatively, it might have extended his career. After all, the selectors might take a chance with one of them for World Cup 2027, but both?

While the country celebrated the Sydney ODI win and the manner in which the veterans — Rohit is 38, Kohli turns 37 in a few days — recaptured the past, the selectors were given a conundrum. It is not something they have to solve immediately, but they will have to handle it with no loss of dignity either to themselves or the two stalwarts.

Very few Indian players have been allowed the luxury of choosing their time and place of departure. Sachin Tendulkar was given a send-off others can only dream of, with the whole country coming to a standstill, and with carefully chosen visitors — the West Indies — as sacrificial lambs.

When announcing his retirement from One-Day Internationals earlier, Tendulkar had said, “I feel blessed to have fulfilled the dream of being part of a World Cup-winning Indian team.”

Missing out

That was a dream denied Rohit Sharma when, at 24, he was not picked for the 2011 World Cup at home. The selectors preferred an extra bowler, Piyush Chawla. Kohli was in the triumphant team and helped carry Tendulkar around the stadium after the win. In 2023, again at home, Rohit was now captain and India looked likely winners till they lost to Australia in the final. So there’s a bit of unfinished business in his case.

The World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia commences in October, which means a five-month break after the IPL for the two players. Like they did with Test cricket and Tendulkar, India’s cricket board might decide to have a couple of unscheduled ODI series just to ensure the stalwarts keep in touch. That is if they are ruled by such things as public sentiment.

A better way might be to tell Rohit and Kohli privately that they will be a) picked, regardless of what happens or b) not picked, regardless of what happens. Selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar’s term ends in June next year. But he has been given one extension, and could be given another. The key man here is likely to be coach Gautam Gambhir. And possibly skipper Shubman Gill too. Rohit missed out on 2011 because of the then captain M.S. Dhoni’s insistence on choosing the leg spinner; ironically, another captain could see him play in 2027.

The World Cup is a good two years away, and all speculation at this stage might be futile. Such things as form, fitness, motivation, team balance closer to the event will decide. But the fact that the bulk of the tournament is being played in South Africa suggests that experience could be vital.

The Sydney performances might be classified under ‘swallows and summers’. A single one of the former does not prove the existence of the latter. India knew their target; Rohit could return to his earlier manner of getting comfortable before launching an attack and Kohli felt at home chasing. He averages 65 in chases with 28 centuries. Where he has remained unbeaten, India have won 51 of 52 chases.

Need for match practice

While both stalwarts looked out of sorts in the first ODI in Australia, and Rohit did at the start of the second before getting a 70-plus (while Kohli looked strangely under-confident), it might have had to do with lack of acclimatisation. This applies to the team in general. Modern teams do not believe in getting used to conditions while playing abroad. Here was indication that the Indian team ought to give themselves sufficient match practice in South Africa ahead of the World Cup.

Whatever happens between now and then, the Rohit-Kohli question will continue to loom. Two of the greatest players in the format will have to keep proving themselves afresh. Painful? Necessary? Match results (there are 21 ODI till the end of next year) then become less important than the subtext of the contests.

Published – October 29, 2025 12:30 am IST

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Varun Chakravarthy speaks on Asia Cup preparations, backing from Gambhir-Surya in white-ball

admin — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 23:27:00 +0000

Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy opened up on his preparations for the upcoming Asia Cup, starting from September 9 onwards and also on the support he received from T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir on his return to white-ball cricket for India.

India’s campaign at the Asia Cup will kickstart from September 10 onwards against UAE. Spinner Varun, who has taken 33 wickets in 18 T20Is so far, looks forward to being a crucial addition in the Indian-set-up as he is on a roll since his international cricket return last year, taking two big five-wicket hauls in T20Is and one in ODIs during the ICC Champions Trophy winning campaign too.

Speaking to Boria Majumdar at Revsportz, he said about his preparation that he is having a one-month break and also worked on his “strength and conditioning, fitness, my bowling, my batting, and everything.”

“The Asia Cup is coming up, and for the white-ball players, they have got a good break after the IPL. I did play TNPL [Tamil Nadu Premier League], but still I have got a one-month break right now. It has been a good time to work on my strength and conditioning, fitness, my bowling, my batting, and everything. I got time to rejuvenate my entire self in a holistic way. Feeling better because I got a lot of time to spend with my kid, my wife, my parents. Yes, I think, I have put in the hard yards. Now, the rest is up to the bigger force,” he said.

Speaking on his plans for the ODI World Cup 2027, a format which he has played four times and taken 10 wickets with a five-wicket haul, Varun said that after Asia Cup, he aims to excel in white-ball tours for India.

“After the Asia Cup, there is a long streak of many white-ball tours coming up and they are challenging ones as well. So the primary goal will be to excel in all those tours, then hit the World Cup with good confidence and more clarity within myself and the process that I am trying to develop,” he said.

The conditions in Dubai will suit Varun, as he took nine wickets in three matches during the ICC CT 2025. Varun said that while wickets in Dubai helped him, there are many factors that have to be in place for him to perform.

“One factor out of those is the ground conditions, and I hope they favours us. On the other hand, in IPL, you may have seen that the factors and conditions do not help the bowlers much. So, I am also used to bowling in such conditions. Hence, I am ready for both, but I am very eager to see how the pitches are at this point of the year in the UAE,” he added.

Varun admitted that T20I skipper Surya and coach Gambhir played a big role in his comeback and before the tour of Bangladesh for T20Is, the skipper told him, “I am looking at you, let us see how the other things go, but I am keen on having you in the team set-up.”

“Similarly, Gauti Bhai also has helped me a lot in my comeback, the way he motivates me. Even if we talk little, he has always given me good confidence and he has always told that “no matter who’s going to ignore you, I will keep you in my plans for now”.

So, that kind of gave me confidence. And if you ask about Gauti Bhai as a mentor, then I would say he brings in a warrior mindset in the dressing room, which is very important and has worked for us at KKR and in the Champions Trophy,” he added.

Varun remarked that as seen during the 2-2 drawn Test tour to England, Gambhir brings energy to the dressing room and around him, “there is no mediocrity”.

“You give everything you have and it does not matter whether you win or you lose. And about Surya, he is someone very similar to Rohit Sharma – that is what I’ve seen. He is a very tactically sound, and maybe his time at MI Mumbai Indians has given him good exposure to great captains. He is a very good guy and never puts pressure on the bowlers. It would be a bowler’s delight to have a captain like him,” he concluded.

Published – August 19, 2025 04:57 am IST

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Gambhir transferred his fighting spirit to us: Shardul Thakur

admin — Sun, 17 Aug 2025 21:21:00 +0000

India’s Shardul Thakur and Jasprit Bumrah with head coach Gautam Gambhir.
| Photo Credit: PTI

On a tense final day at The Oval, India’s young Test side pulled off a stunning 6-run victory over England, a result that helped them square the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-2.

Shardul Thakur, who was part of India’s Test team in England, praised head coach Gautam Gambhir.

“We have always seen him as a player who is willing to fight for the team, and even during the huddles, he transferred that energy into us, the same energy that he brought into the field during his playing days,” Shardul said while speaking to Boria Majumdar on Revsportz.

“He is an achiever who has won trophies for the nation and the state. And he brings all those experiences and motivations into the team. Criticism will come and go, but as a team, winning matters, and I believe we are heading in the right direction when it comes to that,” Thakur noted.

India’s challenge was daunting. With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired from Test cricket, and Mohammed Shami unavailable, the squad leaned heavily on Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj for experience.

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were the experienced names in batting.

“When your backs are against the wall, there is no going back, and that was the situation,” Shardul explained.

“This team had no other option than to rise and put up a fight, because at the end of the day, you are representing India,” he added.

He credits Gambhir for instilling belief, “Even our team huddles had Gauti (Gautam Gambhir) Bhai saying: ‘You are lucky to be representing your country.’ Maybe young, but we are here because of our talent and as our coach said: ‘If you have the belief, then there is no opponent you cannot beat. If it’s your day, you can take any side down, based on how badly you want it.’”

For Shardul, the hunger of the younger players was decisive, “When youngsters are in the team, they would do anything to showcase their talent in front of the world. I guess that’s what lifted the morale of the team and kept our team going.”

Thakur also opened up on the final Test at The Oval. England needed 35 runs on the last day with four wickets in hand. India needed belief.

“What happened on day four was that the old ball still had its shine, and it was swinging, so it helped us to get those two crucial wickets of Harry Brook and Jacob Bethell. It was Joe Root’s wicket next, and then it was time for the next day,” Shardul recalled.

“The full team was on the same page that we are going to win this one. Our huddle was also plain and simple — Gauti Bhai asked us to keep the belief that we can do it,” he said.

“(Mohammed) Siraj and Prasidh (Krishna) were in their spells, so it was also important for them to have a good start, which they did. Loads of credit go to Siraj and Prasidh for getting those important wickets and the way they pushed their bodies, especially Siraj after playing all five Tests. It was all about building the pressure, and one of the teams had to falter under that pressure. I feel India came out with flying colours,” he added.

Published – August 18, 2025 02:51 am IST

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Infighting In Team India Ahead Of Champions Trophy? Star Wicketkeeper Angry With Gautam Gambhir Over Snub: Report

admin — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 10:48:41 +0000

Only two days remain before the start of Rohit Sharma-led India’s Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a match against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday. After the loss in Australia, the Champions Trophy provides a chance for the Indian cricket team to redeem itself. Post the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which India lost 3-1, several reports claimed that all was not well in the Indian dressing room. There was a report surrounding a certain ‘Mr. Fix-it’ who harboured ambition to be India’s interim captain, there were was also a report claiming coach Gautam Gambhir was unhappy with one of the younger players for leaking dressing room information. Several experts believed that the team bonding was missing.

Post that Tour, the BCCI introduced several guidelines like making in compulsory to travel in team bus, no wives/partners on short Tours, no personal ad photoshoot on Tours. In the midst of this, a report has claimed that a wicketkeeper is unhappy with India coach Gautam Gambhir over ODI XI snub.

The report in Times Now, quoting sources, has said that a ‘current India wicketkeeper’, who is not the first choice in ODI playing XI, feels that he has lost his spot due to an ‘external reason’. The report did not name the player. It also did not mention whether the wicketkeeper is part of the Champions Trophy squad or nor.

Currently, KL Rahul is India’s first choice wicketkeeper in the Champions Trophy, as confirmed by Gambhir. Rishabh Pant is the other wicketkeeper in the squad.

Rishabh Pant, who was struck on the knee by a shot from Hardik Pandya during Sunday’s training, appeared to be struggling, limping slightly on Monday.

He skipped the wicketkeeping and fielding practice and looked rusty when he came to bat, missing and edging several deliveries. The session kicked off with a direct-hit competition between three teams.

Gearing up for the finisher’s role, wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul worked on his big-hitting skills as the Indian team trained for the second time on Monday ahead of their Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh. Rahul, typically known for his technical approach, appeared to shift gears as he focused on playing aggressive shots. With Rishabh Pant pushing for a spot in the playing XI, the 32-year-old seemed to embrace a more proactive, power-hitting mindset.

India Squad For Champions Trophy 2025

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

With PTI inputs

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Virat Kohli Takes One-Handed Stunner, Team India In Jovial Spirits Ahead Of Champions Trophy Opener

admin — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 16:27:01 +0000

Team India enter the Champions Trophy 2025 in great form, having recently whitewashed England 3-0 in a home ODI series. Captain Rohit Sharma seems to have found his groove, smashing his 32nd ODI ton during the series, while Virat Kohli also struck a fifty. Despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, India remain one of the favourites for the trophy. The change in form has also seemingly seen a change in mood inside the Indian camp, with BCCI releasing a video of players training in Dubai in a jovial mood and in harmony.

The training video, just over two minutes long, showed glimpses about the bustling atmosphere within the Indian dressing room.

Captain Rohit Sharma could be seen lending some batting advice. “Time the ball. If you beat the cover fielder, it’s a boundary,” were his words of wisdom.

Rohit eventually took to the nets, facing the likes of Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar.

Virat Kohli was also in the thick of the action. The 36-year-old appeared in a hearty mood, and took a stunning one-handed reactionary catch.

Raw mode

Presenting from #TeamIndia‘s first practice session of #ChampionsTrophy 2025 in Dubai

WATCH

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2025

Rohit Sharma had hit the ball high with a tennis racket, before someone in the middle and worn a helmet to give it a deflection. Kohli, standing just behind, completed a superb one-handed effort, sparking celebrations among the players.

Hardik Pandya was also in the thick of things. First, Pandya could be seen sharing a light moment with Ravindra Jadeja in their native Gujarati.

Later, Pandya clobbered a delivery that travelled the distance, earning appreciation from Rishabh Pant.

At the helm, head coach Gautam Gambhir and assistant coach Abhishek Nayar oversaw the whole session, with the likes of batting coach Sitanshu Kotak also visible.

“There are three nets in the centre. Post whatever you have done; if you want to do something extra work, you’ve got two nets out back; you can get some working there,” Nayar could be heard saying.

The scenes of Team India training paint a vastly different picture regarding the mood in the dressing room than what was prevalent during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia.

India are vying for a record third Champions Trophy title, and the tournament comes as a major litmus test for head coach Gautam Gambhir. With India’s white-ball form seemingly imperious at the moment, India will be hoping to go the distance, playing all their games in Dubai.

India will face Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy 2025 group stage.

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Setback For Gautam Gambhir’s Protege At Champions Trophy, Compatriot ‘Way Ahead’ In Playing XI Race: Report

admin — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 10:43:08 +0000

Harshit Rana has been the flavour of the season as far as India’s emerging crop of fast bowlers is concerned but one of head coach Gautam Gambhir‘s finds is unlikely to start in India’s playing eleven in the Champions Trophy with Arshdeep Singh still considered way ahead in terms of talent and quality. The Indian team management gave Harshit all three ODIs against England, and if one is absolutely fair to the burly 6-feet-2-inch tall Delhi speedster, he has not looked out of place.

While Arshdeep enjoys a better economy rate of 5.17 compared to Harshit’s 6.95 per over, it is the former’s ability to bring the ball back into the right-handers during the Powerplay overs that will tilt the scales in his favour in the tournament starting February 19.

Arshdeep, who also has only nine ODIs since he made his debut in a short ODI series in New Zealand in 2022, will be ahead on most counts when one looks at the parameters that would be taken into account based on the conditions available at the Dubai International Stadium.

“Harshit has improved by leaps and bounds in terms of reducing his weight and has become sharper in terms of speed. But if I had to choose one among the two as Mohammed Shami’s partner, it has to be Arshdeep as he can swing the ball both ways and is a left-armer.

“I would be a trifle surprised if Harshit starts ahead of Arshdeep,” former national selector Devang Gandhi, who has also seen Rana from close quarters as Delhi Ranji coach, told PTI.

India will start with a clash against Bangladesh on February 20 here.

It is understood that Harshit started in all three games against England because the team management, currently helmed by Gautam Gambhir, wanted to check out if his protege could be considered as Jasprit Bumrah‘s replacement, and also this was the only series where Shami’s fitness could also have been tested in real terms.

Hence, Arshdeep was rested in the first two games and only got a chance when the think-tank decided to rest Shami, who had played back to back ODIs.

Former India opener WV Raman, one of the most respected coaches in the country, feels experience will be a key factor which should go in favour of the Punjab pacer.

“Arshdeep, due to his relative experience and the left arm being a different dimension, has an advantage. The Dubai track will be decent for the pacers,” Raman observed.

He also raised a key point about playing multi-nation event compared to bilateral series.

“A bit more experience always helps in ICC events, which is a different ball game from bilaterals. In ICC event, you will play different opposition every day and accordingly an experienced bowler changes his plans,” said Raman, who has also been India U-19 batting coach and head coach of the national women’s team.

Gandhi, on his part, also pointed out the options Arshdeep brings to the table in various phases of the match.

“Harshit hits deck and gets it to move a bit both ways after pitching along with those effective occasional heavy balls in the range of mid 140s. But when you have Arshdeep, he can swing the new ball and also use angles of the crease effectively when he comes round the wicket during death overs,” he explained.

An NCA Level 2 coach, who had watched the India U-19 team play in Dubai during the Asia Cup, had observed that there is at least five to six inches more bounce on offer at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

“If you have that shade extra bounce for a swing bowler then playing Arshdeep is a no-brainer. Harshit is a good talent but if Shami is fit, then Arshdeep, for variation, experience and game awareness partners him,” the former NCA coach said.

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