India's head coach Gautam Gambhir has been criticised by fans as well as experts for over-experimenting with his team, especially in the Test format. However, Aakash Chopra mentioned that experimentation is natural for a team when it is going through a transition phase like India is at the moment. The former India opener noted that Gambhir and Co. are looking to give opportunities to players and allow them to cement their spots in the national team.
Rahul Dravid and Ravi Shastri, during their three-to-four-year
stints, used around 30–35 players each. By that measure, Gambhir’s count of 24 in only 18 months has invited questions about stability and long-term planning. However, Chopra believes that it is not right to view numbers in isolation.
“When you’re going through a transition, it’s natural to see more players being tried out than in any other phase," JioStar expert Aakash Chopra spoke to the press during a media day ahead of the second Test.
“He’s been there for over a year and a half and has used 24 players. You mentioned Ravi and Rahul used about 35, so he still has 11 to go — so don’t worry," he added.
Chopra opined that during a transition phase, not all decisions are made by the coach, as selectors also play a key role.
“It’s not just about the coach; it’s also about the selectors and who they believe is ready to come in. In a transition, you go through different phases," the cricketer-turned-commentator said.
We’re in a multi-format world: Chopra
Chopra believes that in modern-day cricket, with T20 cricket dominating the schedule, the availability of players as well as their fitness and workload becomes a concern.
“We’re in a multi-format world, and the growing demands of the shorter formats bring availability issues and fitness concerns. Those things will only increase as we go forward,” he said, adding that this naturally leads to more churn than in previous cycles.
Chopra also mentioned that replacing stalwarts like Ravichandran Ashwin, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli, who have all retired this year, won't be an easy task.
"Some things are beyond your control: if Ashwin retires, someone has to replace him. If Virat and Rohit retire, someone has to step in. And when three legends leave, you will naturally have multiple players almost auditioning for those roles. If you’re lucky, you’ll find the right ones in the first one or two attempts; otherwise, it might take a bit longer," Chopra explained.
The 48-year-old also spoke about the frequent changes, particularly in the batting and spin-bowling departments, made by the Indian team. He said that some inconsistencies are normal during a transition.
“Transitions generally bring a bit of upheaval and some inconsistency, and that’s exactly where we are right now,” he said.
