Former Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra has commented on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma being a part of the India squad against Sri Lanka, pointing out that it is the quickest way for the senior players to ingratiate themselves with new national team head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Kohli and Rohit were most recently a part of team India that played in and won the 2024 T20 World Cup. While Sharma was the team’s highest run scorer and led the team from the front as the captain, Virat played a brilliant inning in the final and was the Player of the Match in the tournament’s ultimate game.
Following the final win against South Africa, both Virat and Rohit announced their retirement from T20Is, ending their career in the format on a high note.
Check Out: Ashish Nehra On Senior Players In Squad Vs SL
While they are still a big part of the ODI team, many believed that such senior players, as has been the case in recent tours to Sri Lanka, would not be a part of the squad. But that is not the case.
With Gambhir coming in as the new head coach of the Indian National Cricket Team, winds and personnel might be shifting for the national team. The upcoming tour to Sri Lanka will be his first one as the coach.
In the 15-man squad announced for the three-match ODI series, both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are included and will likely play all three matches.
Ashish Nehra On Senior Players In Squad Vs SL
Ashish Nehra, who has not only played cricket for Delhi alongside Kohli and Gambhir, recently suggested that senior players being in the team against Sri Lanka is a good thing, as it is a chance for them to gel with the new coach, one who has had tiffs with Virat in the past.
In a recent interview with Sports Tak, Nehra discussed the two senior-most Indian players being a part of the squad in the upcoming ODIs.
“The good thing is, even though there is a chance that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli don’t play in the major 50-over tournaments coming up, they are still there for this series in Sri Lanka. Gautam Gambhir has come as a new coach, and the earlier they gel with him inside that dressing room environment, the better, regardless of whether they knew each other for many years before that or not. So I like that they are playing the ODIs,” he said.
Nehra, who is currently the coach of the Gujarat Titans in the IPL, also reasoned that young players spending time with senior players is yet another advantage of this situation, adding,
“Many a time it happens that after a major tournament like the World Cup, you would want to give youngsters more chances. India already has a good pool of players for white-ball cricket, and so the more time these youngsters spend time with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the better it is for them.”
While there will be a three-match India vs Sri Lanka ODI series, the tour will start with a three-T20I series, the first of which will be played in the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on July 27 at 7 PM.
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