Gautam Gambhir clears Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's future with Team India after Champions Trophy
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India head coach Gautam Gambhir gave a fitting reply to a journalist questioning the form of the team's captain Rohit Sharma. Gambhir came out in support of Rohit and hailed him for showing the way for the rest of the team.
Gautam Gambhir also praised Virat Kohli's brilliant knock in the Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final against Australia. Kohli played a match-winning knock when the team was under pressure and helped in taking his team past the finish line.
Gautam Gambhir slams journalist for questioning Rohit Sharma's form
After India won the semi-final against Australia in Dubai, Gautam Gambhir attended the press conference. A journalist in the press conference questioned Rohit Sharma's batting form and Gambhir was quick to defend the captain.
The head coach lauded Rohit for setting the tone while batting aggressively in the powerplay. He further slammed the journalist that the team management judges a player through his impact rather than the numbers.
"If your captain is batting at such a tempo, it just gives a very good signal to the dressing room that we want to be absolutely fearless and courageous. You guys evaluate through runs but we evaluate through impact. This is the difference that you evaluate by stats but we evaluate by impact," Gambhir said.
"You guys (journalists and experts) just see the numbers and averages. But as a coach of a team, we don't see the numbers and averages. If a captain leads the way we want to play our cricket, there is nothing better for a dressing room," he added.
🚨Gambhir on Rohit Future Fabulous answer gazab jawab diya hai hum impact se judge karte naki averages se and yes Rohit will play Wc 2027 well said Gautam👌👌 (Courtesy ICC) #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/CCODXUe6IO
— Imsajal45 (@Sajalsinha0264) March 4, 2025
Rohit Sharma is yet to get a big score in the ongoing Champions Trophy. The Indian captain scored 28 off 29 balls against Australia in the semi-final and was dismissed by the young left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly.
Gautam Gambhir on Virat Kohli's knock
When asked about Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir heaped praises on him by calling him "phenomenal". Gambhir hailed about Kohli's ability to plan a run-chase which separates him from the rest.
"He (Virat Kohli) is a phenomenal ODI player, plans his innings and chases really well," said Gambhir.
Gautam Gambhir on Virat Kohli: He is a phenomenal ODI player, plans his innings and chases really well
— Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) March 4, 2025
It was another masterful knock from Virat Kohli in a run-chase as he struck 84 off 98 balls to take India to the final. Kohli was nearly at his best as he played his innings without any undue risks. His knock included just 5 fours and it was mostly about singles and doubles.
India qualify for third straight ICC final
India qualified for their third straight final in an ICC tournament after the victory over Australia. They continued their surreal run in the ICC tournaments and showed why they are regarded so highly.
India also qualified for the finals of the last two ICC tournaments - ODI World Cup 2023 and T20 World Cup 2024. While they lost the 2023 World Cup final heartbreakingly, they went on to win the T20 World Cup 2024 final.
