Gambhir said if necessary, Indian players should skip playing in the IPL and instead focus on 50-over cricket in preparation for the World Cup.
India has not won an ICC championship in nine years. India's most recent title came in 2013, when Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the ICC Champions Trophy. Since then, the pursuit of an ICC trophy has continued, and with the ODI World Cup 2023 set to take place in India this year, fans will be hoping the wait is over. However, given the team's current state of change, it will be a difficult assignment.
Referring to the same, former India opener Gautam Gambhir has said that players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who play anchor roles in the innings, will be essential for India. Meanwhile, Gambhir argued that players should not be compelled to play in ways that are not natural to them.
“I feel people like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and all those guys who can anchor their innings, who probably can play spin really well will play a massive role in the coming World Cup,” Gambhir said on Star Spots show ‘Road to World Cup glory’.
“I always feel that when we talk about this new approach, which India always talks about, the template and stuff, you’ve got to identify players who can adapt those roles or that template very easily. Some people just cannot adapt to that template so why push them to play in a certain way which doesn’t come naturally to them,” he added,
“So, for me, I think identifying players and at the same time getting the right mix is very important, rather than thinking that we have to play at a certain template so we got to select all the 15 with a similar mind-set or with a similar template.”
Gambhir suggested that if necessary, Indian players should skip playing in the IPL and instead focus on 50-over cricket in preparation for the World Cup.
"So these guys have to play enough of white-ball cricket, especially for the 50 overs World Cup together irrespective whether they want to take a break from the T20 or from the IPL. But the break has to happen in the T20 format and not the 50 overs.
" If the franchisee has to suffer they have to suffer. Indian cricket is the main stakeholder, not the IPL. IPL is just the by-product. So, if India goes out and wins the World Cup, that is the bigger ovation, that is the bigger ring," Gambhir added.
"...if an important player does miss the IPL games so be it, because IPL happens every year and the World Cup happens only once in four years. So, for me I think winning the World Cup is far more important than winning the IPL."
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, according to Gambhir, will be crucial to India's ODI World Cup campaign. Furthermore, this might be the final significant 50-over competition for the great cricketers.
(With inputs from PTI)
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