KL Rahul’s Versatility and Young Talent Highlighted by India Coach Gambhir

Mumbai, 11 November 2024: Ahead of India’s all-important tour of Australia, head coach Gautam Gambhir was full of praise for the young players in the team’s set-up. The head coach spoke at length and said players such as Washington Sundar and Dhruv Jurel are the future of Indian cricket. 

“It is always good when a young player comes in, whether its Dhruv Jurel, who has done really well against England, be it Washington Sundar, it’s great for Indian cricket. These guys are the future of Indian cricket as well, so it is encouraging,” Gambhir said. 

“I think the good sign is that some of the young players are really coming. Through and, which is always healthy and good for Indian cricket.”

In the recently completed series against New Zealand, Washington Sundar, who was drafted in after the first Test, was among the brightest spots for the team. He bagged 16 wickets in 4 innings and was among the few who drew praise from the experts about his abilities as well. 

The coach also emphasised the need for keeping Indian cricket ahead of everything else. “The only conversation I’ve had with the seniors or the experienced players or the youngsters is to keep Indian cricket ahead of any other thing, to keep the team ahead of their personal milestones because that is what team sport is all about and that is how team sport is meant to be played. And I’m sure that is something that will continue to happen in future as well. It’s about the team first ideology as compared to any other thing and the smallest of things will make a huge difference. We want to be seen as absolutely selfless. And more importantly, absolutely positive,” Gambhir explained. 

The former opening batter was effusive in his praise for KL Rahul, who can play multiple roles as per the needs of the team. The coach said, “It is the quality of a man that he can actually bat at the top of the order, can bat at number 3 and he can bat at number six as well. So, you need quite a lot of talent to be doing these kinds of jobs. And he’s kept wickets in one day format as well. So, imagine how many countries have players like KL Rahul who can actually open the batting and can bat at number six as well. So, I feel that if needed be I think he can do the job for us, especially if Rohit is not available for the first Test.”

Gambhir, who spoke ahead of his departure for the Australia tour, said that conditions would be the obvious challenge, and he is confident that the team will be fully prepared for the opening day. “The challenge is obviously the conditions because when you play back home in India as compared to when you play in Australia, the conditions are different. And I think 10 days if we can get good proper preparation before the start of the series. I think we got to be in really good shape and we’ve got a lot of experience, players who’ve been to Australia. So obviously their experience will come in handy for the young players as well, so these 10 days are going to be very crucial, but come 22nd morning we should be absolutely ready to fire from ball one.”

Image Credits: The Indian Express

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