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New Delhi [India], October 14 (ANI): India head coach Gautam Gambhir remained tight-lipped about the future of batting stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the lead-up to the 2027 World Cup, urging them to focus on the present. Gambhir also addressed Shubman Gill’s promotion to ODI captaincy in place of Rohit and declared that the 26-year-old ‘deserves’ it.

With two years to go until the next edition of the ODI World Cup in South Africa, India has taken its first steps towards preparing for the tournament. The first significant step towards the tournament has seen Gill replacing Rohit as the ODI skipper, and his first assignment will be a three-match 50-Over series in Australia, scheduled to commence on Sunday.

The series opener in Perth will mark Rohit and Virat’s first appearance for India since lifting the Champions Trophy title unbeaten in March. With the batting wizards stepping away from T20I and Test formats, the ODI is the sole format in which they compete, and their ambition remains to lift the World Cup in 2027, following heartbreak on home soil in 2023.

Gambhir didn’t spill the beans about the plans regarding Rohit and Virat, but focused solely on the upcoming Australia tour and the expectations from the duo.

‘The 50-over World Cup is still what, two and a half years away. And I think it is very important to stay in present. That is something which is very important. Obviously, there are quality players; they’re coming back. Their experience is going to be a handful in Australia as well. Hopefully, those two guys will have a successful tour. And more importantly, as a team, we will have a successful series,’ Gambhir told reporters in the post-match press conference after India notched a 7-wicket win in the second Test against the West Indies.

Captaincy across different formats has come thick and fast for Gill. After leading the Gujarat Titans for two years in the IPL, Gill was passed the Test captaincy baton in May, and a couple of months later, he took the leadership mantle in ODIs. While some believe the shift has happened too swiftly, Gambhir feels Gill has earned it, especially after the way he led India to a 2-2 series draw in England during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

‘I think he deserves every bit of it. I think he’s worked hard, and I’ve said that he ticks all the boxes. And for me as a coach, I think someone who’s saying the right things, doing the right things, working hard, work ethic, commitment, putting his body on the line, being the first guy on the field, what more can a coach ask for? And I know it’s tough for him,’ Gambhir said.

‘It was tough, and I said many times that England was probably the toughest Test for him. Five Test matches over a course of two, two and a half months against a quality England side, an intimidating batting line-up, and an inexperienced Indian team. What more could he have faced?’ he added.

Across the five Tests, Gill walked the talk and led from the front with his bat. He ended the record-breaking series by topping the run-scoring charts with a whopping tally of 754, laced with a career best 269. While Gambhir admitted that scoring runs brings respect, speaking the correct words plays a part in it, which Gill has done, and the entire dressing room has responded to him.

‘But then again, the way he handled himself and, more importantly, the way he’s handled the team and, more importantly, the way the team has responded to him. I think sometimes we only keep talking about the captain, but the way the team has responded to him and to his leadership is equally important. So you’ve got to give credit to the entire group in that dressing room,’ Gambhir said.

‘Yes, you do earn respect by scoring runs, but you also earn respect by saying the right things and doing the right things. I think your actions should be more than anything else, not just the performances. So I think he’s done phenomenally well, and so has the group. First and foremost, I need one,’ Gambhir added.

During his first home assignment, Gill walloped fifty in the opener in Ahmedabad and an unbeaten 129(196) in the second in Delhi to revel in his first series win as India Test captain. (ANI)