New Delhi, July 12 2024 : Gautam Gambhir, newly appointed head coach of the Indian cricket team, has voiced his strong opposition to specialization in cricket, advocating for players to be available for all formats of the game. Speaking to Star Sports in his first interview since his appointment, Gambhir emphasized that top players should participate in all three formats—Test, ODI, and T20—irrespective of the potential for injuries.
“I firmly believe that if you’re good enough, you should be playing all three formats,” Gambhir stated. His remarks appear to subtly reference players who have shunned the longer format, notably Test cricket. A prime example is all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who last played Test cricket in September 2018 after featuring in 11 Tests. Veteran cricketer Sunil Gavaskar recently remarked that Pandya should return to Test cricket, expressing hope that efforts will be made in the coming months to convince him to do so.
Addressing the issue of injuries, Gambhir dismissed the idea of avoiding formats due to injury risks. “Injuries are part of a sportsman’s life. If you’re playing all three formats, you get injured, you recover, and then you get back to playing. It’s as simple as that,” he asserted. Gambhir believes that injury management should not deter players from participating across all formats.
Gambhir’s tenure as head coach will begin with the upcoming white ball series against Sri Lanka later this month. He expressed his belief that top international players desire to play in all formats rather than being restricted to specific ones. “When you’re playing international cricket and you’re good enough, you ask any of the top players, they want to play all three formats. They don’t want to be labelled as red ball bowler or white ball bowler,” he said.
“I am not a big believer in identifying players for specific formats. Professional cricketers have a very small window when they’re playing for their country, and they should aim to play as much as possible. When you’re in good form, go ahead and play all three formats,” Gambhir concluded.
This stance by Gambhir marks a significant policy direction as he steps into his new role, potentially influencing the team’s approach to player selection and format participation in the future.
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