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'Form And Impact Are Important..,' Gautam Gambhir's Advice For Asia Cup And World Cup

image-llm6blfmShreyas Iyer (L) and KL Rahul (R) are a part of India's Asia Cup squad. (Twitter)

Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir emphasizes that team India should prioritize selecting players for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup based on their current form and game-changing impact, rather than favoring predetermined frontrunners for specific slots.

For the upcoming Asia Cup, India has chosen a 17-member squad, including fit-again Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma, who receives his maiden ODI call-up. Both Iyer and Rahul are returning from lengthy injury lay-offs, with BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar revealing that Rahul has acquired a new niggle, potentially affecting his availability for the Asia Cup opener against Pakistan. The selection choices are notable, with Yuzvendra Chahal being omitted and Suryakumar Yadav preferred over Sanju Samson, despite his poor returns in the 50-over format.

Gambhir firmly asserts that, in the pursuit of a World Cup victory, there should be no predetermined frontrunners for positions. He advocates for prioritizing players in form, regardless of reputation. Whether it's Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, or anyone else, the player in superior form should be selected.

“One thing is clear; there is no front runner for a position when you are trying to win the World Cup. Form and impact are important. The players who are in form need to be picked, rather than those who are not. Let it be Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, or anybody. If Tilak Varma is in better form than someone, if Suryakumar Yadav is in better form than Shreyas Iyer or KL Rahul or Ishan Kishan, then you need to start that player,”  Gautam Gambhir told Star Sports.

Gambhir contends that the World Cup's quadrennial occurrence demands form and impact as primary factors in selection decisions.

“Because the World Cup comes once in four years, you don’t go and see who is a front-runner or not. Who is in the best form after the Asia Cup and the Australia series, just as Rohit Sharma had said, there is no guarantee for anybody’s position,"  added Gambhir.

Among the numerous questions raised, the most significant pertains to India's ongoing struggle to establish a consistent option at the number four position in their batting order. Despite this, Rohit expressed a lack of undue concern regarding this issue in a press conference, a sentiment shared by Gambhir.