Former India spinner Pragyan Ojha said that both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma being part of the ODI squad for the upcoming Sri Lankan tour, which will be Gautam Gambhir’s first as head coach of the Indian team, will help team clarity as well. After playing a key role in helping India win the 2024 T20 World Cup, both Kohli and Rohit were expected to be on a break until the home season as well.
However, India will take on Sri Lanka in three T20Is, starting July 27, followed by three ODIs from August 2 to 7 as well. In an interview with Sports Tak, Ojha has shared why Kohli and Rohit honouring Gambhir and playing the Sri Lankan ODIs will hold the side in good stead in the future as well.
ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya shares happiness after winning back the love of fans
“We were hearing that perhaps Virat and Rohit will take a break from ODI. But Gautam Gambhir was starting his tenure, so he talked and gave clarity about his thoughts. So both the senior players honoured him. So this is a good thing. This shows that there will be clarity in the team. The coach, captain, senior player, the core team, when they think in one direction, you get a good team. When you see the clarity in the team, you think the team can win,” said Ojha.
Notably, Gautam Gambhir took over the rein as Team India head coach from Rahul Dravid, who served the role from November 2021 till the 2024 T20 World Cup as well. While the Rohit Sharma-led side won the T20 World Cup under Dravid, they faced final defeats in the ODI World Cup and World Test Championship (WTC) final last year as well. And, Pragyan Ojha feels the dynamic and communication between
Gambhir, Kohli, and Rohit will be excellent thanks to the trio having played with each other in their respective careers as well.
ALSO READ: “Shubman’s captaincy is very good” – Ravi Bishnoi on Shubman Gill
“How India will move forward, how Virat and Rohit will look at themselves. Because it is a Champions Trophy, after that, we are talking about the World Cup in 2027, how to reach there, what to do, so that road map will be made. And the best thing is that the clarity of communication will be very good. Because Gautam Gambhir, Virat and Rohit played a lot of cricket together. They know each other very well,” concluded Pragyan Ojha.
