"If you're good, you should be playing"- Gautam Gambhir rings alarm bells for Hardik Pandya even before charing 1st meeting
India's new head coach Gautam Gambhir has made his intentions clear that a player must be playing all three formats if he is fit and in form. Gambhir's statement is likely to be directed to star India allrounder Hardik Pandya, who has been preferred as a white-ball player lately.
Gambhir was recently appointed India's head coach after Rahul Dravid's tenure ended with the conclusion of the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados. Dravid's tenure saw India touch new heights as they reached three ICC tournament finals within a year.
Out of these three, India lost the WTC finals and the ODI World Cup final in 2023 but claimed the T20 World Cup 2024 trophy by defeating South Africa in the final.
Gautam Gambhir fires a warning to Hardik Pandya
While speaking on the show 'Follow the Blues' on Star Sports, Gambhir stated that a player should play all the formats if he is good enough. The head coach added that he doesn't believe in injury management and would like the players to play all the formats if they are fit.
"I'm a very strong believer in one thing that if you're good, you should be playing all three formats. I've never been a big believer of injury management. If you get injured, you go (and) get recovered. As simple as it gets," Gambhir stated.
When you're playing international cricket and you're good enough, you ask any of the top players and they want to play all three formats. They don't want to be labeled as red-ball bowlers or white-ball bowlers. Injuries are a part of a sportsman's life. If you're playing all three formats and you get injured, go back and get recovered but you should be playing all three formats," he added.
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Will we see this practice being implemented? How will he manage the injuries sustained?
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"When you're in very good form, go ahead" - Gautam Gambhir
The former India opener also mentioned that the period is too short for an international cricketer and he should look to play as much as possible.
"I'm not a big believer to identify people for different formats, managing injury and stuff. Look, as a professional cricketer, you have got a very small span when you are playing for your country and you want to play as much for your country. When you're in very good form, go ahead and play all three formats," Gambhir explained his thoughts.
Gautam Gambhir's comments seem to be directed at Hardik Pandya, who hasn't played a Test match since 2018. Pandya has a history of getting injured, which makes him an unsafe option to play Test cricket. Although he has the skills to play Test cricket, his injury-prone nature hasn't allowed him to play the longer format of the game.
Even the selectors have seen him as a white-ball specialist for a long time now as he is a key part of India's ODI and T20I plans. With the ability to make an immediate impact with bat and ball, Hardik Pandya is one of the top-class all-rounders in white-ball cricket currently.
Tagged:
India National Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir Hardik Pandya The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
