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Gautam Gambhir's plain-speak and Ajit Agarkar's lucidity is set to make for a heady combo as the new head coach and the chairman of selectors looked completely in sync while spelling out, in no uncertain terms, that days of cherry-picking series by citing workload management could be over. They explained certain tough calls while in a few things, they were subtle yet said enough to allow people to read between the lines. Physically, neither Gambhir nor Agarkar have an imposing presence but ask anyone in the periphery of Indian cricket and people will swear by the fact that these are two individuals with sharp and informed takes, which don't change readily. As they put up a united front in their first joint media interaction, it was clear that they were ready to put their money where their mouths were. Technically, it might seem that Agarkar enters his second year of chairmanship but perhaps like Gambhir, this is also a fresh start in which the duo can create a road-map for the 2027
India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Monday said he expects senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to be available for most of the ODIs and Tests after retiring from T20 Internationals, expressing hope that they would "keep their fitness" to be in the reckoning for the 2027 50-over World Cup. Both Rohit and Kohli announced their retirement from the T20I format after India's World Cup win earlier this month and were expected to miss the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. However, they both were named in India's squad for next month's three ODIs in the island nation keeping in mind the Champions Trophy, which is slated for the first quarter of the next year. Speaking to the media for the first time after being named India's head coach, Gambhir highlighted the importance of workload management for ace fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah but expected the regular presence of Rohit and Kohli going forward. "I've said it before that workload management for someone like Jasprit Bumrah is important. For
The T20 World Cup-winning Indian cricket team might be able to fly home on Tuesday evening after Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said she expects the airport here to become operational in the "next six to 12 hours", ending the shutdown forced by a category 4 hurricane. The Rohit Sharma-led squad, its support staff, some BCCI officials, and the players' families have been stranded here for the past two days due to hurricane Beryl. The team won the title on Saturday after defeating South Africa by seven runs in the final. "We hope, and we're working towards later today. I don't want to speak in advance of it, but I've literally been in touch with the airport personnel and they're doing their last checks now and we want to resume to normal operations as a matter of urgency," Mottley, who has been overseeing relief operations on the ground, told PTI. "There are a number of people who were due to leave yet last night late or today or tomorrow morning. And we want to make sure that we