With the Indian national cricket team gearing up to go on its next tour in Sri Lanka, former left-arm spin bowler Pragyan Ojha has stated that there is a new dawn under the newly-appointed head coach for ODI, Gautam Gambhir. He also stressed how much these changes matter at an event organized by Sony Sports Network.
According to Parami News, Ojha said, “It’s Gautam era and it will be interesting to see his changes in Team India as this is this team’s new era.”
Gautam Gambhir replaced Rahul Dravid as head coach after their successful campaign at the T20 World Cup last month and he is now getting ready for his first trip in charge. Already there have been some big moves like Suryakumar Yadav taking over from Hardik Pandya as T20I captain during his reign. The three-match T20I series will begin on July 27 while a three-match ODI series will follow it from August 2.
Despite rumors suggesting otherwise, Ojha supported the inclusion of senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in their One-day International (ODIs) squad for the Sri Lankan series.
He added: “Calling senior players for ODI I think is good decision also because you have to serve your country; every coach expects his fresh tenure to have positive results.”
Ojha reiterated faith in Suryakumar Yadav who was recently made captain of the T20I side. “What I like about Suryakumar Yadav is that he is one of them and now let us see how he captains India,” said Ojha.
The BCCI has taken a major step forward by requiring senior players to play Ranji Trophy matches considering that domestic cricket plays an important role in producing skilled international cricketers. In reaction to this move, Ojha noted that, “It’s so sad that they needed BCCI telling them to play Ranji yet whatever you are today is because of Ranji games.”
Looking at the Gambhir era, cricket fans anticipate new strategies and dynamics emerging out of it, which will make an exciting series in Sri Lanka.
