Mounting Pressure on Indian Senior Players as Kumble Advises Gambhir: 'It's Time to Make Tough Decisions'

The recent match once again highlights the pressing issue of India's senior players nearing the end of their careers. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been struggling with poor form, which has been a cause for concern among fans and analysts. Despite making their Ranji Trophy comebacks recently, they failed to make an impact in their respective matches. In the recent game against Bangladesh, neither player could find their rhythm in the run-chase. Rohit scored 41 off 36 balls with seven fours, while Kohli managed 22 off 38 deliveries with just one four. This underwhelming performance from Kohli especially raised questions about his form and whether he is still at the peak of his career.

Also Read: 'Message came from dressing room...': Shubman Gill on Rohit, Gambhir's role in 'most satisfying century' in India's winAnil Kumble's brutal advice to Gautam Gambhir

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, former cricketer and India head coach Anil Kumble felt that Gambhir would need to make some ‘tough calls’ on the future of ‘the legacy players’ after the tournament. Due to the importance of the 2027 ODI World Cup, Kumble also felt that the ongoing tournament’s result would decide the future of senior players like Rohit, Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Shami.

“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.

“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 also had some advice for Gambhir, urging him to integrate some younger players into the playing XI, so that India are well-prepared for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

“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.

Kohli’s knock, in particular, was a pain to watch for Indian fans. The former skipper walked in to bat with India at 69/1, after the departure of Rohit. But his form was straightaway put in the scanner as he began with nine dot deliveries on the trot from Tanzim Hasan Sakib and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. The only boundary he got was an uncontrolled pull shot, and then he was finally removed when trying to cut Rishad Hossain and was caught at backward point, with India at 112/2.

ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025, IPL 2025 Schedule and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news along with India vs Bangladesh live Score. .freemium-card h4{color:#fff; padding-bottom:20px;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{padding-bottom:16px; color:#fff;} .freemium-card .freemium-content{width: auto; max-width: inherit;} .freemium-card .freemium-content .subcTxt{max-width:inherit; font-size:18px; padding-top:0; line-height:24px} .freemium-card .btnSubc{margin} .freemium-card .btnSubc a{background:#000; color:#fff; min-width:auto; padding:5px 15px; border-radius:6px; font-size:16px; line-height:22px; font-weight:700;} .freemium-card{height:285px} @media (max-width: 767px) { .freemium-card h4{font-size:28px} .freemium-card .freemium-content{max-width:360px; padding: 20px;} .freemium-card{height:303px; background-position: 100% 0; } }