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Gautam Gambhir doesn’t care if his selection calls have been vindicated after India’s unbeaten run to the final of Champions Trophy.
Gautam Gambhir is only concerned with being honest to his job. (AFP Photo)
In the lead up to the Champions Trophy, India picking as many as five spin bowling options in their squad for the ICC tournament came under scrutiny. However, the decision has been proven right given the impact Indian spinners have made on the slow pitches of Dubai with the Rohit Sharma-led team winning all their matches en route to the final.
Among the debatable calls taken by the Indian team management was the preference given to KL Rahul ahead of Rishabh Pant for the spot of wicketkeeper-batter in the playing XI.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir points towards Rahul’s average in one-day cricket as his terse reply to shut the debate for good.
“KL averages 50 (48.53) in one-day cricket, that’s the answer,” Gambhir told reporters in Dubai on Tuesday.
Gambhir further added that he’s not worried about what critics think of his decisions.
“I don’t care about it (selection calls being vindicated). My job is to be honest with 140 crore Indians and my players in the dressing room. I don’t care what people say about it, how they talk about it, whether they’ve got agendas or not. If I am honest to my job, that is all that matters, and I can sleep in peace,” Gambhir said.
Rahul has scored 3009 runs in 84 ODIs so far. He has seven centuries and 18 fifties to his name. Over the course of his career, the 32-year-old has batted as high as an opener and as low as no.7.
In the ongoing Champions Trophy, he’ been batting at the no.6 spot.
“In a team sport, numbers don’t matter, batting positions don’t matter, it’s the impact that matters. KL has done really well at No. 6. We feel that he gives us more depth, and that is how we want to play the game. KL has done that really happily, and he’s done that really well at number six,” Gambhir said.
For more in-depth coverage of the Champions Trophy, check out the latest Points Table to see where your favorite team stands. Stay updated on the tournament’s top performers with the Most Runs and Most Wickets leaderboards. Keep following for all the latest updates!
- Location :
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
