Former chief selector blasts Gautam Gambhir, says ‘Don’t ruin KL Rahul like Sanju Samson’

India’s recent struggles in white-ball cricket have triggered fresh debate over the team’s direction ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup. Following defeats against Ireland, England in the T20I series, and now the ODI series against England, former India captain Kris Srikkanth believes it is time for the team management to answer some difficult questions.

The former opener also criticised India’s team selection and batting decisions during the Lord’s ODI, saying frequent changes to the playing XI are hurting the team’s preparation.

Srikkanth wants Gautam Gambhir and team management to be accountable

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said India’s performances against the strongest teams should be the real benchmark instead of victories over lower-ranked sides.

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He questioned whether the current approach would help India prepare for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

“They will win the T20 World Cup or the Champions Trophy in between and Gautam Gambhir will receive a lot of praise. But Gautam Gambhir should be held accountable. The team management has to be accountable. They will beat Zimbabwe, then Sri Lanka and West Indies, and everyone will say India are back in form. If you consider matches against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and West Indies as the real test, then there is no scope for improvement. Unfortunately, this is what will continue. India’s performances against the stronger teams should be the benchmark, not victories over lower-ranked sides.”

Also Read: Ashwin says dropping Rohit and Virat is ‘impossible’ amid India’s 2027 ODI World Cup debate

Concern over India’s World Cup preparations

Srikkanth also expressed concern over India’s ODI planning, pointing out that there are very few 50-over matches left before the next World Cup.

He believes constant experimentation at this stage could hurt the team’s chances.

“There are not many ODIs left before the World Cup. Only a handful of matches remain. After that, there is the Australia series, the IPL and then the World Cup. Honestly, this is not the right way to prepare by making changes again and again. Shubman Gill himself said what can we do if there are so many injuries? Players are getting injured regularly.”

Questions raised over KL Rahul’s batting position

The former India opener was also unhappy with the decision to send KL Rahul lower down the order during the chase at Lord’s.

According to Srikkanth, Rahul should have come in much earlier after Rohit Sharma’s dismissal to support Virat Kohli.

“Will anyone send KL Rahul at No. 6 while chasing such a huge total? He has won so many matches for India. You have already affected the careers of Sanju Samson and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and now you are doing the same with KL Rahul. Is Rahul a No. 6 or No. 7 batter? This is completely unfair to him. Even his body language yesterday suggested he was nervous.”

Rahul should have batted alongside Virat Kohli

Srikkanth felt Rahul was the ideal batter to build a partnership with Virat Kohli while the chase was still under control.

Instead, he was sent in when the required run rate had already climbed beyond reach.

He pointed out that Rahul had played similar match-winning roles alongside Kohli during the 2023 ODI World Cup and believed India missed an opportunity by not promoting him.

According to Srikkanth, expecting Rahul to rescue the game when more than 15 runs an over were needed alongside Axar Patel was unrealistic, as the match had already slipped away by then.