"Coach Has To...": Anil Kumble's Blunt Message To Gautam Gambhir Over 'Legacy Players'

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 began on a promising note for the Indian team, with a comprehensive victory against Bangladesh in the opener on Thursday. Skipper Rohit Sharma and opening batter Shubman Gill got the team off to a flying start at the top but No. 3 batter Virat Kohli didn't look his usual self. Kohli and Rohit's form has been a concern for the team management for a long time. While the skipper scored a 36-ball 41, Virat could only contribute 22 runs off 38 balls. Though India won the match, the team's former coach Anil Kumble sent a straightforward message to Gautam Gambhir, the current head coach, about the transition from 'legacy players'.

Kumble, who himself has been in Gambhir's position, feels it's the coach's responsibility to take 'tough calls' as the team transitions from veteran players to the new generation.

"You could say this is a very important tournament for a coach who has to make those tough calls in terms of transitioning from the legacy players to the others. But that's the job of the coach, to make those hard decisions," he said on ESPNCricinfo.

"This tournament could determine where those seniors would go, and where India would look at making those changes. Win or lose, you need these tough calls to be made at the earliest. You need to start looking ahead in white-ball cricket, especially at the 2027 World Cup," Kumble further said.

Though India have a long way to go for the 2027 ODI World Cup, the Champions Trophy will be the last big event the team will participate in as far as the 50-over format is concerned. Kumble feels the chatter over certain players' future needs to start after the Champions Trophy ends.

"In any World Cup, you're looking at building a squad that has played at least 20 or 25 matches together. That's when you understand the nuances of match situations, and who to rely on. Ideally, at the end of this tournament, you must start looking ahead to the next World Cup. Do the seniors make it there? Or do we give the opportunity to youngsters to take the team forward in the shorter formats and build a strong unit? These are questions Gambhir needs to address," he said.

"He has a fresh, young team and plenty of players to choose and build from, so he needs to organically start preparing for the 2027 World Cup. In T20Is, he's done well. Suryakumar Yadav has been a great captain. The next World Cup is still two years from now, and the new set of players will need a consistent run of games playing with each other, to understand many things like the batting order, match situation, and tactics," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Virat Kohli Gautam Gambhir Rohit Sharma Anil Kumble ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Cricket