After helping India win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 title in the West Indies and USA last month, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from T20Is. Rohit and Kohli finished their careers as the top-two leading run scorers in the shortest format of the game. After Kohli and Rohit’s retirement, India will go through a transition in T20Is.
During his first press conference after becoming the head coach of the Indian team, Gautam Gambhir provided a big update about Team India’s future plans and didn’t rule out the possibility of India having three different teams for Tests, ODIs, and T20Is in the future.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai on Monday (July 22) ahead of Team India’s departure for Sri Lanka, Gambhir said, “Eventually, these things happen. For example, Virat, Rohit, and Ravindra are not in T20. It will happen, but I can’t say right now that there are going to be three different teams. T20Is will obviously go through a transition with three world-class players retiring from the T20 format.”
“However, in 50-overs (ODIs) and Test cricket, the more consistent we can be, the better. The more players who can play both formats, the better it is for any team. That’s my opinion. The chairman can give his view, but that’s how I feel,” he added.
India’s chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, who accompanied Gambhir in his first press meeting after assuming the new role, shared similar views and said it’s just about finding the best balance for the format you’re playing.
“Yeah, I think we’re on the same page. You don’t decide to have three different teams. If you’ve got players who can play all three formats, you include them because that means they are quality players. It’s just about finding the best balance for the format you’re playing, whether that means using the same players across all three formats or different ones. It’s what works for the team at this point. You can already see there are enough players who are good enough to play all three formats, and if that’s the case, you just try to pick the best 15,” Agarkar said.
After Rohit’s retirement, Suryakumar Yadav has been appointed as India’s new captain for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, which starts in Pallekele on July 27.
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