"Had Kohli Or Rohit Made Those...": Gautam Gambhir, Mohammad Kaif In Awkward On-Air Debate

03.09.2023 - 09:11 sports.ndtv.com

As India took on Pakistan in their opening Asia Cup 2023 clash, it was Ishan Kishan who made the opportunity count, producing an excellent performance with the bat, all but silencing those doubting him to play a role in India's middle-order.

Though an opener, Kishan featured at the No. 5 spot for India in the absence of KL Rahul. Though there remain those who feel Ishan has cemented his spot in the middle-order with the performance against Pakistan, Mohammad Kaif differs in opinion, much to the disappointment of Gautam Gambhir.

In a chat on Star Sports after India's batting innings against Pakistan on Saturday, Kaif opined that Rahul would return in the middle-order once he is fully fit while Ishan would have to drop to the bench despite his heroics against Pakistan. "KL Rahul is a proven match-winner.

At No. 5, his numbers are fabulous. So Rahul Dravid knows, there is that clarity in his mind that...remember, Mohammed Shami was dropped today.

cricket India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Air on Gautam Gambhir Mohammad Kaif Ishan Kishan Kl Rahul India Pakistan

The Indian cricket team might be No. 1 in the world in all formats but such a position in the ICC charts matters little to former batter Gautam Gambhir. With the mission for the Indian team being lifting the ODI World Cup this year, Gambhir believes that to win the showpiece event, the team would need to defeat Australia as they have a remarkable performance history in ICC events. Australia, being the most successful team in the 50-over World Cup history, automatically start as one of the favourites. Gambhir, however, is hopeful the Indian team can get the better of them.

"MS Dhoni Didn't Sacrifice His Batting Position": Ex-India Star Counters Gautam Gambhir's Claim

Former Indian cricket team fast bowler S Sreesanth believes that MS Dhoni did not sacrifice his batting position for the sake of the team and it was a decision taken consciously by the former skipper in order to completely utilise his talents as a finisher. Sreesanth's comments came in connection to claims made by former teammate Gautam Gambhir who said that Dhoni would have scored more runs if he batted at No. 3. The former pacer added that Dhoni was well aware about the positions that suited all the batters and it was his finishing ability that helped India in winning two World Cup titles.

Gautam Gambhir Meets 'King Of Hearts' Shah Rukh Khan. Post Gets Shared 1000 Times In 30 Minutes

When Gautam Gambhir was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders, the team scaled new heights. He won the Indian Premier League with the Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise as captain. Those were glorious years for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Now, Gautam Gambhir, a member of the Indian cricket teams that won the 2011 ODI Cricket World Cup and the 2007 T20 Cricket World Cup, has been mentoring the Lucknow Super Giants team at the Indian Premier League. The camaraderie, however, between Gautam Gambhir and Shah Rukh Khan is there for all to see.

MS Dhoni "Sacrificed The Batter In Him, So That...": Gautam Gambhir On India Great's Impact

Former India skipper MS Dhoni is undoubtedly one of the most loved sportspersons in the world. Over the years, Dhoni has earned a large fan following, not only in the form of common people but also many formers and current cricketers. However, Dhoni's camaraderie with former India batter Gautam Gambhir always grabs a lot of attention. On many occasions, the former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper has raised questions on media for only glorying the captain's role in India's 2011 World Cup victory and not giving credit to the entire team.

"There Are Question Marks...": Gautam Gambhir's Warning For India Ahead Of Cricket World Cup 2023

The Indian cricket team received a massive boost ahead of the Cricket World Cup 2023 as the Rohit Sharma-led side defeated Sri Lanka comprehensively to clinch the Asia Cup 2023 title. Mohammed Siraj produced a devastating spell of fast bowling to cap off an impressive campaign by India which saw quite a number of good performances. However, former India opener Gautam Gambhir believes that there is one sector in India's team composition that needs some attention ahead of the World Cup.

Gautam Gambhir Questions Role Of BCCI's NCA On Shreyas Iyer Injury, Says Star Won't Be Part Of World Cup

Former India batter Gautam Gambhir feels Shreyas Iyer won't be part of the World Cup squad, having not played much cricket for the entirety of 2023. Iyer has been out of the side since March this year when he had suffered a lower back stress. He returned to the playing XI for the Asia Cup group stage match against Pakistan. However, later in the tournament, Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma said that he had a back spasm. Gambhir urged the management not to pick injury-prone players for a big tournament like World Cup.