India’s one-day squad for Australia later this month tells two stories at once. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, now both the wrong side of 35 and already retired from Tests and T20Is, have been recalled. And 23-year-old quick Harshit Rana, uncapped at international level, has also found space on the flight.
At the post-series media briefing following India’s comfortable 2-0 Test win over West Indies, head-coach Gautam Gambhir was asked the obvious: are Rohit and Kohli being groomed for the 2027 World Cup?
“Look, 50-over World Cup is still two-and-a-half years away, and I think it is very important to stay in the present,” he replied. “That is very important. Obviously, they are quality players, they are coming back, their experience is going to be a handful in Australia as well. Hopefully, those two guys will have a successful tour, and more importantly, as a team, we will have a successful series.”
The ODI captaincy has already passed to Shubman Gill, who also leads the Test side and deputises in T20Is. Juggling those three hats, plus regular franchise commitments, will stretch anyone; the question of specialised mental-conditioning support was therefore floated.
“First and foremost, I need one,” Gambhir said with a grin. “I think he is scoring runs, so he does not need any bit of it. So probably I think he is in a good space. I think all of us are in a good space.
“I think when you get the results, you are always in a good space. But if you don’t get the results, I think it is my responsibility to keep him and the entire group in a good space. That is my job. Sometimes it is not only about skills, but it is also about the mental aspect of the game as well. Especially guys who are playing all the three formats. It is not only about Shubman, it is about everyone in that dressing room. I have equal responsibility towards everyone.”
While Gill’s workload feels manageable for now, the same press conference pivoted to Rana’s surprise inclusion. Former India captain Kris Srikkanth, speaking on his personal YouTube channel, had alleged that the seamer owed his selection to being Gambhir’s “yes-man”. That barb did not land gently.
“Look, it’s a bit shameful. And I will be very honest with you. If you do not spare even a 23-year-old boy to run your YouTube channel, it’s unfair,” Gambhir said. “Because ultimately [Rana’s] father is not an ex-chairman [of selectors] or an ex-cricketer or an NRI. He plays cricket on his own merit. And he will continue to play on his own merit.
“Targeting someone individually is not fair. You can target people’s performance. And there are coaches and selectors who target people’s performance. But if you say such things to a 23-year-old kid, then social media amplifies it more, and in social media, you are told things in such a way, imagine [what it does to] the mindset [of the player]. In the future, your child can also play cricket, anyone’s child can.”
Rana’s figures make a reasonable, if not bullet-proof, case. He topped the wickets chart for Delhi in the last Vijay Hazare Trophy and bowled the bulk of Kolkata Knight Riders’ tough overs during the recent IPL. Selectors have evidently gambled on raw pace and bounce translating to Australian surfaces.
Kohli and Rohit, meanwhile, will walk straight back into a batting order that already features Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan. How the management splits time in the middle on a short tour will be instructive.
For now, the message from the coach is unambiguous: deal with the next series first. World Cups tend to look after themselves if form and fitness co-operate. And as Gambhir reminded the room, staying in the present usually keeps everyone “in a good space”; two ageing greats and one nervous rookie will hope that proves true in Australia.
