New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) Head coach Gautam Gambhir gave his blunt reply when asked about the ODI future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma with the ODI World Cup 2027 in mind, saying it is important for the team to stay in the present. He, however, expressed hope that the duo will have a successful ODI tour of Australia, which starts on October 19 in Perth.

Kohli and Rohit, who have now retired from Tests and T20Is, have been named in India’s squad, to be led by Gill, for the ODI series against Australia, starting from October 19 in Perth. Kohli arrived in New Delhi early on Tuesday morning and is also expected to link up with the team before flying to Australia on October 15.

“Look, ODI World Cup is still about two and a half years away and I think it is very important to stay in the present. Obviously, there are quality players coming back and their experience is going to be helpful in Australia as well. Hopefully, those two guys will have a successful tour and more importantly, as a team, we will have a successful tour,” said Gambhir in the post-match press conference.

India are now starting at a hectic international schedule, with the ODI tour of Australia followed by five T20Is against the same opposition before a hectic all-format home series against South Africa comes in November and December.

With a lot of overlap for players to be playing all three formats, Gambhir explained how the players and coaching staff will adapt to the challenge. “In fact, I was thinking when I was coming for this press conference that it is tough on players, especially as we are playing all the three formats. But I thought that the best thing that happened in this series was the way the Test guys prepared actually before the series – going to play the India A game against Australia A was very, very important. Playing Ranji Trophy before the South Africa series is going to be equally important as well.”

“I thought that is something which this group of players have done exceptionally well. They are preparing themselves really well for the Test series and that is where you could see the results as well. So, for me, I think sometimes it is difficult but that is what professionalism is all about.

“Try and use the days to the best of their ability because we know that there are very quick turnarounds, especially from here to one-day cricket and T20 cricket and then what, after four days, back to Test cricket. But again, the guys who are just part of test cricket, I think for them to prepare and play domestic cricket is very, very important, rather than just going to NCA and working on their skills, I think the more they play for the test matches, it is very important for them,” he elaborated.

Asked if this constant travel can be a bit of a worry as the team’s head coach, especially with more silverware like T20 World Cup, World Test Championship finals qualification and ODI World Cup coming up from 2026, Gambhir felt the coach is just as good as his team’s performances.

“When are you called as a good coach? Because you are judged by the results. This is the harsh reality of my job and profession. When you play, you can control a lot of things. You can make a run, take wickets and don’t get the criticism even if the team loses. But in my hands, if you don’t get the results, I will face the criticism.

“For over a span of 10 months, day in, day out, you are in that scrutiny. It is absolutely fine. This is part of my job. Ultimately, what is in your hands? You can work honestly, you can do good things, keep a good environment, make the players feel secure, and make good decisions which is important for Indian cricket. Beyond this, you can’t do anything because after that, there is nothing in your hands. Ultimately, the players perform.

“A coach or a captain is only as good as his team. It is not only the captain that is only as good as his team. It is the coach also that is only as good as his team. The better the performance of the team, the better the coach will be. If the performance is not good, coach will also not be good,” he said.

–IANS

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