Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had an exceptional ODI series against South Africa.
Out of all the current jobs in the world, being Gautam Gambhir is probably the toughest one. The Indian head coach is making it aa habit of finding himself amongst headlines for all the wrong reasons. Since taking over the full-time role for the Men in Blue, the team has lost five of their seven Tests on home soil. On the other hand, the team has displayed good numbers in white-ball cricket in recent times.
The recently concluded ODI series against South Africa was one of the most decorated three-match series in the 50-over format. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were seen in action at home after a long time. Having retired from two of the three formats, the number of matches they play at the international level has also gone down.
That being said, it did not reflect anywhere at all in their respective games. Both Rohit and Virat looked in sublime touch. Though the Mumbai Indians (MI) stalwart took some time to take off, eventually getting to a composed 75 in the third ODI, Virat Kohli was in a league of his own. The 37-year-old smashed two hundreds and a fifty in the three matches, putting a full stop towards all questions being asked about his quality.
The Indian cricket fans were over the moon, watching two of their stalwarts back in action, probably in the best of forms. However, former India star Robin Uthappa has called out Gautam Gambhir for not giving any credit to Rohit and Kohli in the post-series press conference. The Indian head coach attended the press conference after the series and spoke about various aspects. However, the former India wicketkeeper-batter felt that he did not credit Rohit and Kohli enough after their performances.
“What I found surprising is the post-match of South Africa ODI series, in the press conference, I didn’t see Gautam Gambhir giving credit to either Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. Here are a couple of guys who’ve batted out of their skins and shown us how good they are and how good they can be. That felt strange”, said Uthappa.
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Ever since the 2011 ODI World Cup winner has taken the mantle of coaching the Indian side, controversies have loomed large over his head. Though India’s performance in white-ball cricket has outweighed the red-ball game, there are loopholes to fill in the white-ball aspects as well. Multiple reports suggest that the coach and the two Indian stalwarts are not on the same page, which could affect the atmosphere of the dressing room.
However, if Rohit and Kohli continue to perform in the same manner in the 50-over format, there would be absolutely zero concerns about their availability for the ODI World Cup in 2027. Both the stalwarts form integral parts of the side at the top of the order, and would be forces to reckon with, come the mega-event in 2027.
There are problems to solve for the Indian management with respect to the ODI setup as well. More than problems, they are situations that could be solved with communication. With Shubman Gill returning to the format as the skipper, Yashasvi Jaiswal’s place in the side becomes uncertain despite scoring a century in the third ODI in Visakhapatnam.
And that is not all. Ruturaj Gaikwad also struck a scintillating ton in the second ODI at Raipur at No.4. However, with Shreyas Iyer making a return to the scheme of things, he would be favoured to start in the XI, considering his valuable contributions in the past. Moreover, Gautam Gambhir & Co. must quickly figure out their all-rounder for the mega-event as well.
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