Indian cricket team will kick-start the year 2023 with a home T20I series against Sri Lanka, starting January 3 in Mumbai.  

For the three-match series, the BCCI selection committee has left out India’s regular white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma, his predecessor Virat Kohli and opening batter KL Rahul.

While no official statement has been issued on the troika’s absence, there are reports claiming that the Indian T20I team will undergo a transition from this series.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya has been appointed captain of the T20I team with star batter Suryakumar Yadav set to play the role of a deputy.

Amid the recent development, former cricketer Gautam Gambhir has said that there is nothing wrong in India's T20 team moving on from Rohit, Kohli and Rahul as long as there is clear communication between the players and the selectors.

"There should be clarity. There should be good communication between the selectors and these players. If the selectors have decided to look beyond these guys, so be it. I think a lot of countries have done that,” Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo during an interaction organised by Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the upcoming Sri Lanka tour of India.

"We make too much of a hue and cry when the selectors and management look beyond certain individuals. Ultimately, it's not about the individuals, but how you want to go about your plans for the next [T20] World Cup [in 2024], because you want to go in there and win it. If these guys haven't been able to achieve that, I think you never know. People like Suryakumar, the younger generation can go on to achieve that dream," he added.

According to Gambhir, India need to have clear plans in place for the 2024 T20 World Cup and he doesn’t see Rohit, Kohli and Rahul fitting into the scheme of things.

"Personally, if you ask me, it looks tough," Gambhir opined. "People like Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan should all be in the mix. Hardik Pandya is there, I'd like to try to get guys like Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tripathi and Sanju Samson into the mix. They can play fearless cricket.

"We've spoken so much about the template and stuff going into the previous [T20] World Cup, that we want to play at a certain template, that we want to play aggressive cricket, but when it came to a crunch game [semi-final against England], all that template went out of the window.

"Probably the new generation of cricketers might be able to achieve that template and play the T20 cricket everyone wants India to play. So I feel, if these guys continue to do well in the opportunities they get, it will be difficult for the rest of the guys who have been rested or probably been dropped."

Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is a notable exclusion from India’s T20I and ODI squads for the home series against Sri Lanka. BCCI’s official release didn’t mention whether he has been rested or axed.

Gautam Gambhir advised Pant to focus only on his Test match skills.

"First of all, the selectors need to be very clear if he's been rested or dropped," he said. "According to me, he [must have been] dropped from white-ball cricket. There has never been enough clarity. This word called 'rest' is great to have; it wasn't there when we were playing. Either we were dropped or selected.

"Rishabh had got his opportunities in white-ball cricket and hasn't been able to grab it, and someone else like Ishan Kishan has been able to grab it. So probably now he should just focus on red-ball cricket, and if his turn comes, whenever he gets that opportunity, try and grab it.

"I don't see that happening in the near future, if Ishan continues to play the way he's playing. Because we keep talking about that template, but people like Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav - that template comes to them naturally.

"Everyone wants to see Indian cricket more courageous and fearless. These guys can play in a natural way. Rishabh has got that opportunity, so he can't blame or complain. He's got the opportunity to open, bat at 3-4-5-6, the management has given him every opportunity to succeed in white-ball cricket, but he hasn't been able to. I think he can concentrate on red-ball cricket, which is not bad for Rishabh because at least his entire focus is on his keeping and how he can bat at No. 5 or 6 in Test cricket."

(ESPNCricinfo Inputs)