'Some people just can't adapt': Gautam Gambhir hints at strategic shift as Team India's coach

The Indian cricket fraternity is excited about the future of the men's team as an era with new head coach Gautam Gambhir at the helm is about to commence. Following the recent announcement by BCCI secretary Jay Shah that the World Cup-winning cricketer would head the coaching staff, the anticipation for new developments has been elevated.

Gambhir, who is famous for his ability to efficiently guide young talent, further proved his coaching prowess by guiding Kolkata Knight Riders to a title win in IPL 2024. The firebrand cricketer-turned-coach's inaugural assignment will witness the Indian team travelling to Sri Lanka for a T20I and ODI series.

With most senior players from the T20 World Cup 2024 either being rested for the ODIs or having retired from T20Is, the team combination under Gambhir¡¯s guidance will be closely watched.

Gambir opens up about ODI cricket

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The squad announcement is expected soon, and fans are eagerly waiting. In a recently posted video by the official World Cup broadcaster, Star Sports, Gambhir shared his thoughts on ODI cricket from a 2023 interview, providing insight into his cricketing philosophy.

"First, you need to identify players, who have got their fearless approach as well, probably in a format like 50 overs. You need to have a mixture of players. You need players who can anchor as well. Change in rule has made a huge difference. During that time you had one new ball. Now you have five new balls with five players inside. So, the role of a part-timer has gone out of the window. You don't see enough reverse swing. You don't see enough purchase for the finger spinners as well," Gambhir said.

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Gambir's views on player adaptability

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He emphasised the importance of player adaptability to different roles within the team. "But I always feel, when you talk about this new approach, you got to identify players who can adapt to those roles, or to that template very easily. Some people just cannot adapt to a template so why push them to play a certain way which doesn't come naturally to them. So, for me identifying players and at the same time getting the right mix is very, very important rather than thinking that we have to play in a certain template, so we have to select all the 15 with a similar mindset or a similar template," he added.

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India¡¯s participation in the Champions Trophy next year is set to be Gambhir¡¯s first litmus test, which will be followed by other major challenges such as the World Test Championship final, the 2026 T20 World Cup, and the 2027 ODI World Cup.

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