Gautam Gambhir has expressed his preference for players participating in all formats of the game, regardless of whether it’s red ball or white ball cricket.
“I’m a very strong believer that if you’re good, you should be playing all three formats,” Gambhir told Star Sports in his first interview since being appointed as head coach of the Indian team.
His comments, though seemingly general, subtly address the trend of players avoiding Test cricket.
A notable example is Hardik Pandya, who has not played Test cricket since September 2018 after featuring in 11 Tests.
Sunil Gavaskar has previously suggested that Pandya should return to Test cricket, stating, “I’m hoping that, in these next two months, there will be some effort made to try and convince Hardik Pandya to come back to Test cricket.”
Gambhir also tackled the issue of injury concerns related to playing all formats.
He emphasized that players should not shy away from a format due to injury risks.
“I’ve never been a big believer in avoiding formats because of injury risks.
If you get injured, you recover and continue playing.
Injuries are part of a sportsman’s life, and if you’re playing all three formats, you should embrace it,” he said.
Gambhir’s tenure begins with the upcoming white ball series against Sri Lanka later this month.
He further stated, “When you’re playing international cricket and you’re good enough, top players want to play all formats.
They don’t want to be labeled as just a red ball or white ball player.
I don’t believe in categorizing players for specific formats.
Professional cricketers have a short window to play for their country, and they should take every opportunity to participate in all formats, especially when they’re in form.”
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