Gambhir backs 'hungry and passionate' Kohli, Rohit

Sydney: Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian cricket team, expressed confidence in the “hunger” and “passion” of struggling senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to continue contributing to Indian cricket. However, he emphasised that the decision regarding their future in the game ultimately rested with the veteran batters themselves.

"I can't talk about the future of any player, it's up to them as well," he said, answering a pointed question about the duo. "But yes, what I can say is that they still have the hunger, they still have the passion, they're tough people and hopefully they can continue to take Indian cricket forward but ultimately as we all know that whatever they plan, they will plan for the best interest of Indian cricket."

Addressing the media after India's 3-1 series loss to Australia, Gambhir also professed that honesty was important and players, if they want to continue, should introspect if the team is benefitting from their contributions.  

"Every individual knows where their game is and hunger is," the former India opener said. "That is the most important thing for any sport and any profession. It is not just about the sport, it's how hungry you are, how passionate you are, and whether the team is moving forward with your contributions or not. Because ultimately, it is neither my team nor your team, it's the country's team. I believe there are very honest players in our dressing room, very honest people who know how hungry they are."

Gambhir was asked what was his road map for the team which is in transition. While he stressed on the importance of being fair to everyone in the side, he didn't rule out changes at various levels.  

"My biggest responsibility is that I have to be fair to everyone in that room, not only one or two individuals," he noted. "If I am fair with only two or three individuals and not with others, then I am being dishonest to my job. So, whether it is a player who has not made a debut yet or a player who has played 100 Test matches, the simple aim of my job is that I have to be absolutely fair and equal to everyone.

"It's too early to talk about it (the road map). The series just got over. I think we still have five more months (before the England Test series) to plan where we want to head towards. But it's not the right moment right now for me to talk about where we are going to be after five months. A lot of things change in sport. Forms change, people change, attitudes change, everything changes in sport. And we all know that five months is a long time. So let's see before the Indian series what's going to happen. But whatever will happen, will happen for the best interest of Indian cricket," he offered.