Gautam Gambhir rubbishes queries over the future of Rohit Sharma in the game

The Indian team playing at the ICC Champions Trophy has rarely given a chance to complain. Notching commanding victories over Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand, India remains unbeaten in the championship. Moreover, with four victories in as many matches, India now sits in the final, awaiting either New Zealand or South Africa in the summit clash. Yet, some probing questions regarding the future of senior players in the team reached Gautam Gambhir after India beat Australia in the semi-final. Never one to let a query slide, Gambhir jumped to the defense of skipper Rohit Sharma as a floating query demanded an answer about the captain's stay in the game.

"We evaluate the impact," Gautam Gambhir makes his stance on Rohit Sharma clear

With a four-wicket victory over the 2023 ODI World Cup winners, India now sits in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy, awaiting an opponent. The team has shown sublime form, with different players stepping up when needed. Virat Kohli dazzled with a comeback century against Pakistan before knitting the gritty chase against Australia in the semi-final with an 84-run knock. While captain Rohit Sharma lags behind on the scorecard, his fiery contributions at the top of the order are not to be missed. Gautam Gambhir, thoroughly impressed by the team’s performance in Dubai, thus defended the skipper when asked how long Rohit would continue.

"Look, the final of the Champions Trophy is now coming up. What can I say before that? If your captain bats with such a tempo, it just gives a very good signal to the dressing room that we want to be absolutely fearless and courageous. You evaluate from the runs; we evaluate from the impact. That's the difference," Gambhir said after India's victory.

Hitting it strong, Gambhir stated that while outsiders gauge a player's standing by stats and the scorecard, the management counts the impact. Gautam Gambhir, meanwhile, remains satisfied with the impact Rohit provides to the team as the opening batter. The head coach explained that Rohit's current form is a booster for the dressing room.

"You evaluate from the stats; we evaluate from the impact. As journalists, as experts, you only look at numbers, averages. But as a coach, as a team, we don't look at numbers or averages. If the captain puts up his hand first, then there is nothing better than that for the dressing room," he added.

Scrutiny over Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli mounted following the conclusion of a horrid Test season for India. The season included a whitewash against New Zealand at home and a 1-3 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy down under. The captain and Kohli, meanwhile, emerged as the main culprits as they consistently failed to make an impact with the bat. However, with the change in formats, it is the seniors who have proved elemental in the team's charge to the ICC Champions Trophy final in Dubai.