The Indian Cricket team has failed to impress in major tournaments. A lack of stability and injuries in the squad are the major reasons.
Injuries being a frequent visitor to the Indian squad, replacements with fresh talents have been the only option. However, it did not work. The Men in Blue are struggling to perform as a team.
Expertise of Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian cricketer and World cup winner, Gautam Gambhir, holds a different opinion on the Indian Cricket team underperforming. Senior squad members like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are taking breaks very often, in his opinion. When experienced players take a break frequently, it hampers the form of the squad. Also, it leads to different players performing in brief intervals, which further disrupts the team’s performance. Â
The former left-hander has urged Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to not take breaks until it is very necessary.
When a set team of players does not play together for a good period, their coordination and chemistry is affected. Same was the case with the Men in Blue. Players had to be chosen with the need of the hour. However, the squad did not have a set team because of injuries which brought in the younger talents.
Though, young players being exposed is essential but performance and coordination go a long way. Therefore, in order to become prepared for the upcoming World cup at home, team India needs a squad which is more stable and consistent.
The former opener also stressed on the fact that team India needs to identify the core members for the squad. The squad has undergone a lot of changes and experiments. When this happens, a stable and set team is hard to build.
Therefore, the identification of the essential members will hopefully lead to the Men in Blue performing better.
Indian Cricket Team Recent Developments
In the recent series against Sri Lanka, Rohit Sharma and K. L. Rahul were not in the squad of the Indian Cricket Team. However, the injured thumb of the captain can be the reason for not keeping him as a part of the team, but exclusion of K. L. Rahul is questionable.
However, both the players will play in the ODI Series of January.
They have elevated the entertaining and versatile finisher Hardik Pandya to the post of Captain for the T 20 side. He has also become the vice-Captain for the ODIs.
Gautam Gambhir also said that promotion of Hardik Pandya as the Vice-Captain is a decent move. However, it will be unfair to judge Rohit Sharma in just one tournament. Rohit Sharma might return as the captain once he is back. Till then the talisman, Hardik Pandya, will lead the T20 team.
Fight for a Spot
The former team India player also commented on the tussle and competition that the senior players will have to face. With the World Cup around the corner, players will have to prove themselves. Virat Kohli and K. L. Rahul will have to showcase their skills if they want to play in the World Cup.
The selectors cannot keep the youngsters who are performing instead of the seniors out of the eleven for very long. Like in any arena, one has to perform to get a place.
Selectors Dilemma
Selectors for the World Cup will face the tough winds on whom they should select. They will have to walk on a two-sided sword. If they choose the seniors who are not performing, they will be unfair to the youngsters who have performed. Also, if they do not take the big names, the selection of youngsters does not guarantee them a promised performance.
Hence, the selectors have a tough job ahead of the Championship.
