India head coach Gautam Gambhir has opened up on the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ODI format and also addressed speculation whether the star duo will feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup or not.
Both Kohli and Rohit, who have now retired from Tests and T20Is, have been named in India’s squad, to be led by Gill, for the ODI series against Australia, starting from October 19 in Perth.
During the press conference ahead of India’s tour of Australia, Gambhir’s reply was characteristically direct and pragmatic, emphasising the present over long-term projections. The Indian head coach expressed hope that Virat and Rohit will have a successful ODI tour of Australia.
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“Look, the ODI World Cup is still about two and a half years away and I think it is very important to stay in the present. Obviously, there are quality players coming back and their experience is going to be helpful in Australia as well. Hopefully, those two guys will have a successful tour and more importantly, as a team, we will have a successful tour,” said Gambhir in the post-match press conference.
India are set for a packed international calendar, beginning with an ODI tour of Australia, followed by five T20Is against the same opposition, before hosting South Africa for a demanding all-format series through November and December.
With a lot of overlap for players to be playing all three formats, Gambhir explained how the players and coaching staff will adapt to the challenge.
“In fact, I was thinking when I was coming for this press conference that it is tough on players, especially as we are playing all the three formats. But I thought that the best thing that happened in this series was the way the Test guys prepared actually before the series – going to play the India A game against Australia A was very, very important. Playing Ranji Trophy before the South Africa series is going to be equally important as well,” the India coach said.
“I thought that is something which this group of players have done exceptionally well. They are preparing themselves really well for the Test series and that is where you could see the results as well. So, for me, I think sometimes it is difficult but that is what professionalism is all about.
Try and use the days to the best of their ability because we know that there are very quick turnarounds, especially from here to one-day cricket and T20 cricket and then what, after four days, back to Test cricket. But again, the guys who are just part of test cricket, I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important, rather than just going to NCA and working on their skills, I think the more they play for the test matches, it is very important for them,” he added.
Gautam Gambhir On Team India’s Constant Travel
Asked whether constant travel can be a bit of a worry as the team’s head coach, especially with more silverware like T20 World Cup, World Test Championship finals qualification and ODI World Cup coming up from 2026, Gautam Gambhir felt the coach is just as good as his team’s performances.
“When are you called a good coach? Because you are judged by the results. This is the harsh reality of my job and profession. When you play, you can control a lot of things. You can make a run, take wickets and don’t get the criticism even if the team loses. But in my hands, if you don’t get the results, I will face the criticism,” said Gambhir.
“For over a span of 10 months, day in, day out, you are in that scrutiny. It is absolutely fine. This is part of my job. Ultimately, what is in your hands? You can work honestly, you can do good things, keep a good environment, make the players feel secure, and make good decisions which is important for Indian cricket. Beyond this, you can’t do anything because after that, there is nothing in your hands. Ultimately, the players perform.
A coach or a captain is only as good as his team. It is not only the captain that is only as good as his team. It is the coach also that is only as good as his team. The better the performance of the team, the better the coach will be. If the performance is not good, coach will also not be good,” he added.
