 "Kumble urges Gambhir to plan for 2027 ODI World Cup, transition from 'legacy' players: 'Start looking ahead'")
Anil Kumble, former India captain and coach, feels the time has come for the Indian cricket team to plan the transition for the 2027 ODI World Cup. The 54-year-old legendary leg-spinner, who was India’s coach in the last Champions Trophy 2017, added that the process of building a new Team India must begin after the ongoing ICC event.
Speaking ahead of India's match against Bangladesh in Champions Trophy 2025 , Kumble said head coach Gautam Gambhir will be needed to take “tough calls” after the tournament to transition from “legacy players” to others.
Champions Trophy 2025: News | Schedule | Results | Points Table
“You could say this is a very important tournament for a coach who has to make those tough calls in terms of transitioning from the legacy players to the others. But that’s the job of the coach, to make those hard decisions,” he said on ESPNCricinfo.
“This tournament could determine where those seniors would go, and where India would look at making those changes. Win or lose, you need these tough calls to be made at the earliest. You need to start looking ahead in white-ball cricket, especially at the 2027 World Cup,” Kumble added.
‘Gambhir must start looking at next World Cup’
The former spinner said Gambhir will need the young players to play “at least 20 or 25 matches together” to prepare a fresh competitive squad ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
“In any World Cup, you’re looking at building a squad that has played at least 20 or 25 matches together. That’s when you understand the nuances of match situations, and who to rely on. Ideally, at the end of this tournament, you must start looking ahead to the next World Cup. Do the seniors make it there? Or do we give the opportunity to youngsters to take the team forward in the shorter formats and build a strong unit? These are questions Gambhir needs to address,” Kumble said.
“He (Gambhir) has a fresh, young team and plenty of players to choose and build from, so he needs to organically start preparing for the 2027 World Cup. In T20Is, he’s done well. Suryakumar Yadav has been a great captain. The next World Cup is still two years from now, and the new set of players will need a consistent run of games playing with each other, to understand many things like the batting order, match situation, and tactics.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsMeanwhile, India began their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign with a six-wicket win over Bangladesh on Thursday. They will take on Pakistan on 23 February (Sunday) in Dubai.
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