'I'm not saying it is a wrong approach' - Ashish Nehra opines on Gautam Gambhir's experiments in Sri Lanka series

Former pacer Ashish Nehra recently criticized his former teammate and current India head coach Gautam Gambhir's decision to include senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka. 

The Men in Blue, under the guidance of Gambhir, are currently trailing 0-1 in the three-match ODI series against the island nation.

The series comes after a tiring season that included IPL 2024 and the T20 World Cup and with a packed home season ahead it was expected that senior players would be rested for this tour. Nehra's main disagreement is that Gambhir missed an opportunity to test new talent in this series. 

“The next series India play is 2-3 months later, a rare thing for us. So for players like Rohit and Kohli...I feel there was a better chance of giving opportunities to other players during this series. I know Gambhir is a new coach, and he wants to spend some time with the experienced players, but it isn't like he doesn't know the two of them," Nehra said on Sony Sports Network.

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He is not a foreign coach who wants to get his equation right: Ashish Nehra

The former bowler emphasized that the head coach who is familiar with Rohit and Kohli, didn't need to establish a rapport with them. Nehra feels the former opener is not a foreign coach and is not alien to the star duo.

"He is not a foreign coach who wants to get his equation right with Kohli and Rohit. So it was a good opportunity for him to try out the new players, and Rohit and Kohli could play when the home season begins. I'm not saying it is a wrong approach, but it could have been one of the strategies in this series,” Nehra added

However, Gambhir's decision to include the two seems to come from their recent retirement from T20Is and the limited ODI fixtures before the 2025 Champions Trophy. This series provides valuable match practice for experienced players in the 50-over format.

Also read: Rohit Sharma firm on keeping up aggressive batting approach

The results so far have been mixed. While Rohit has been in excellent form, scoring consecutive fifties, Kohli has struggled against Sri Lankan spinners. The team's performance has been inconsistent, with a tie in the first match and a 32-run defeat in the second, despite a strong start in the chase. The third fixture of the series is scheduled for August 7.