Gautam Gambhir emphasises on importance of workload management ahead of 2023 World Cup

Gambhir believes that the players can take a break during T20Is and IPL, but can not compromise on ODIs.

View : 1K

3 Min Read

Gautam Gambhir and Indian Cricket team
info
Gautam Gambhir and Indian Cricket team. (Photo Source: Twitter and MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Indian cricketer and one-time World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir believes that the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) will have to keep a close watch on the workload of those players who feature for India across all formats. With the ODI World Cup scheduled for this year, Gambhir wants the management to prioritise the ODIs over T20Is for those players.

Before the ODI World Cup, India have a high chance of playing in the World Test Championship in June. Australia and India are the leading contenders to make it to the finals of the event, and many of the senior players will be a part of it too. With multiple bilateral series and events lined up for India, Gambhir believes that the players should plan everything well and take a break for T20Is if needed, so as to focus on the ODIs.

“If they want to take a break, people who play more than three formats, they can definitely take a break from T20 cricket, but surely not from the ODI format. They got to play together. I think the biggest mistake that Indian cricket has made in the last two World Cups has been that these guys have not played enough of cricket together,” Gambhir said while speaking on Star Sports.

Gambhir was against the idea of the players taking a break for the ODIs. He believes that they can manage their workload by resting during the T20Is, which is not a priority, at least for now. The T20 World Cup 2022 saw two key players- Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja missing out due to their respective injuries. The two will be back this year, but the injuries have always been a major concern for India.

“Tell me how many times have we got the best playing 11 on the park? We haven’t, only during the World Cup we decided to have the best playing 11, but unfortunately, that was never the best playing 11. So these guys have to play enough of white ball cricket, especially for the 50 overs World Cup together irrespective of whether they want to take a break from the T20 or from the IPL. But the break has to happen in the T20 format and not the 50 overs,” he added.

Indian cricket is the main stakeholder, not the IPL: Gambhir

The Indian players will also be participating in the Indian Premier League soon, which means back-to-back cricket for the players of the Indian team. Gambhir said that the board must ensure that the players play more for the national team, even if it means that an IPL franchise loses one of its best players in the process.

“If the franchise has to suffer they have to suffer. Indian cricket is the main stakeholder, not the IPL. IPL is just the by-product. So, if India goes out and wins the World Cup, that is the bigger ovation, that is the bigger ring. For example, if an important player does miss the IPL games so be it because IPL happens every year and the World Cup happens only once in four years. So, for me I think winning the World Cup is far more important than winning the IPL,” he further stated.

For Better Experience: Download CricTracker Mobile App

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:

googletelegraminstagramwhatsappyoutubethreadstwitter

Download Our App

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS and Google Play Store