Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian cricket team, has given a major update on the team selection ahead of the England Test series. The Test series kicks off India's WTC 2025-27 campaign.
India failed to qualify for the WTC 2025 final after losses to New Zealand and Australia in back-to-back Test series. While India lost to the Kiwis at home, they lost to the Aussies down under.
The BCCI took a few drastic steps following India's losses to New Zealand and Australia. Now ahead of the England team, Gambhir has a chance to make up for what he could not against Australia and New Zealand.
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Talking about Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's selections, Gambhir remained tight-lipped. He was asked about the same in the ABP News Summit that he attended.
“The job of the coach is not selection, it is the job of the selectors to select. The public should know, that the selectors select, and the coach, only from that squad, selects 11 players to play the match,” Gambhir said while speaking on the ABP News Summit.
“So, this perception that the coach is the selector is not true. Neither was the coach before me a selector nor am I a selector. Five selectors are selected when they come here. If you had called them, they would have given you a better answer to this question,” he added.
Gambhir Backs Kohli, Rohit To Play 2027 ODI World Cup
Gambhir, as a coach, won the ICC Champions Trophy title earlier this year. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both played key roles in India's victorious campaign. Gambhir said that if the duo keeps performing, they can eventually play till the 2027 ODI World Cup.
“Till the time they are performing, they are absolutely, they should be part of it. When you start, and when you finish, that is your individual decision. Neither is there a coach, nor is there a chairman, nor is there a selector. said Gambhir.
“You keep performing; whether you are 40 or 45, keep playing till 40; no one has stopped you. 2027 World Cup is their decision, their performance is more important than that. You can only select their performance in the team. You saw the Champions Trophy, how they performed, what can I tell you, the world has seen it, the country has seen, how they have performed,” the head coach added.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma is very likely to lead India in the Test series against England. The squad for the England series is expected to be named on May 20.
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