Loading ...One of the more balanced sides with no surprises in team selection, except for Wridhiman Saha as back-up wicket keeper to Parthiv Patel.
The big news, however, is the elevation of Gautam Gambhir as the captain of the ODI side. And also the focus on developing him as a future leader. This abodes well in two ways. Firstly, the selectors now are thinking beyond MS Dhoni. They want to make sure that they will not have any major leadership problems in the future. By appointing Gambhir as captain now, and also previously during the tour by New Zealand, they have also rewarded hard work and leadership skills.
Secondly, I also think that this will motivate more youngsters to become leaders. Gambhir isn’t relatively young anymore. At the same time he has led Kolkatta Knight Riders with aplomb. From a wooden spooner to a title contender within 1 year is a feat in itself. IPL performance, though not considered anywhere else in the team selection, has definitely been taken into account this time.
I also think that Gambhir is a relatively good captain as compared to maybe Sehwag. Sehwag’s achilles heel has been frankness. Being a captain requires a certain amount of discretion, which is lacking with Sehwag. What you see is what you get, when it comes to Sehwag and I don’t believe that quality will do him any good as captain of the Indian team.
UPDATE:
From The Telegraph:
“Senior pros Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh hailed the appointment of Gautam Gambhir as the captain of Indian T20 and ODI sides, for the upcoming tour of the West Indies.”
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