R Ashwin Compares Gautam Gambhir's System With Rahul Dravid's, Highlights Glaring Issues

As India's preparations for the ODI World Cup 2027 get serious, the ODI series defeat against England is bound to hurt. Despite seeing the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah making a return, India looked far from a polished unit that aspires to win the 50-over World Cup next year. Ravichandran Ashwin, one of the most analytical players that India has produced, drew a comparison between the system that has been put in place by Gautam Gambhir, the current head coach, and his predecessor Rahul Dravid. For Ashwin, the fact that India are relying on bits-and-pieces cricketers is a big problem.

One of the biggest problems for India is the alternative to Hardik Pandya. The pace-bowling all-rounder has had persistent fitness issues, and it still isn't clear if he would be ready for the World Cup next year. The likes of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Shivam Dube are being seen as his alternatives, but the former has also had numerous injuries of late. For Ashwin, it's important for India to find a concrete solution to this problem, and makeshift all-rounders isn't the one.

"If Hardik is not there, it's Nitish Kumar Reddy and then Shivam Dube. There is no point in harping about players that are not ready to play in your combination. If they are injured, they are injured. That's par for the course in any sport. Look at the 2023 World Cup, which just fizzled out because Hardik wasn't part of the combination. But the moment it fizzled out, they were not searching, and they did not try to play the sixth bowler. They skinned the cat differently and went with five bowlers," Ashwin said on ESPNCricinfo, as he explained how Rahul Dravid approached the situation.

"They ensured the rest of the squad did not have a lack of clarity and were very stable even after Hardik's injury. They got to the final doing that. The players and the ethos in the dressing room is what will win you the World Cup. This bits and pieces has been a fascination for this management. That's probably why we have struggled in Tests, as Tests are firmly for the specialists. It's match-winners with the ball and bat that this management needs to keep at the top of their mind."

Ashwin feels the way forward has to be India finalising a list of 17-18 players and backing them for the next 14 months, while trying different tactical compositions.

"There needs to be clarity before any discussions about personnel. Go to 17/18 players and tell them that we are going to pick the squad from that pool and they play the next 14 months, whoever that be. It has to have two keepers, three spinners and five pacers. Rotate the players in this pool with the vision of putting the best 11, come the first day of the World Cup. As of now, it's lacking a lot of clarity," said Ashwin. 

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India Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir Rahul Dravid Ravichandran Ashwin Hardik Pandya Cricket