Long gone are those times when there was a set bunch of players who would feature across all three formats. Under the tutelage of Gautam Gambhir, the current Indian team will see players get picked depending upon their speciality. The talent pool in India is such that you can easily create multiple teams, and they all could take on any side in the world.
The debate around having separate squads for ODIs and T20Is has been reignited, and India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, is making a strong case for it. According to Times of India, Gambhir wants to ensure clarity in both white-ball formats and avoid excessive overlap between the two teams.
Suryakumar’s T20I team to be built on intent
Gambhir believes that the key to T20 success is picking players purely on recent form rather than long-term reputation. This aligns with India’s recent dominance in T20Is, where a more flexible and dynamic squad has yielded impressive results. Under Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership, India has won 17 of their last 20 T20Is and have put up scores in well excess of 200. For those unaware, India even racked up 297 in one of the T20Is against Bangladesh in 2024.
With the 2026 T20 World Cup set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, the upcoming IPL will be a crucial scouting ground. Players who excel in the league will have a strong case for World Cup selection, as Gambhir prefers form over experience in T20 cricket.
“Gambhir has apparently argued that the T20 team is excelling since there’s clarity on how the players need to approach the format. Barring a few top players, one may expect very few two format white-ball players,” read TOI’s report.
Rohit Sharma to be till 2027 ODI WC
While T20 cricket thrives on aggressiveness, Gambhir envisions a stable and well-defined ODI squad. With 24 ODIs scheduled before the 2027 World Cup, he wants to establish the team’s core early. The big question remains—will Rohit Sharma continue as ODI captain? Despite leading India to a Champions Trophy win in 2025, he will be close to 40 by the next World Cup. Gambhir and the selectors must decide whether to transition to a younger leader. Shubman Gill was made Rohit’s deputy at the Champions Trophy and he is touted to be the next leader.
“India will play about 24 ODIs going into the next World Cup. The coach would prefer to form the core of the ODI team as early as possible. The selectors and Gambhir will need to be sure if they see Rohit continuing as captain till October 2027.”
Players like Virat Kohli are expected to continue, while multi-format stars like Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Axar Patel will be carefully managed to maintain peak fitness. Additionally, workload management could see veterans like Varun Chakaravarthy focusing solely on T20Is. However, the kind of Champions Trophy he had, it would be quite bewildering if we don’t see Chakaravarthy in ODIs once again.
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