Indian captain Rohit Sharma recognized the challenge of deciding on the team's wicketkeeper batter for ODIs, with both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant strong contenders. His statements came before the first One-Day International between Sri Lanka and India, which will be played in Colombo on August 2nd.
He underlined that each player adds distinct abilities to the team, referring to them as "match-winners" in their own way.
Rishabh Pant last played an ODI in November 2022 against New Zealand, while KL Rahul led India to an ODI series win in South Africa early this year.
"It's a tough call (wicketkeeper-batter between Rahul and Pant) to make. Both are quality players, and you know the abilities of both players. They are match-winners in their own way. They have won a lot of games for us in the past," Rohit was quoted during his pre-match press meet by PTI.
Rohit expressed his preference for dealing with an abundance of options rather than facing scarcity.
"It is not easy to pick a team or a player when you have quality like that. It is always nice to have problems like that while picking up the teams, so you know that there is quality in the squad. I look forward to these kinds of problems till I am the captain," he said.
The 37-year-old also stated that the management has already created a peaceful environment in the locker room, allowing players to concentrate on their game without fear or uncertainty.
"The most important thing is to allow the freedom to players so that they will be able to do that and it is our job to ensure that we create that environment. Yes, we have already created that environment for players to come here and play freely.
So, that they do not (need to) think too much about their performance, result, etc. If you are playing the game the team wants you to play, then we are more than happy," he added.
Rohit said that Suryakumar Yadav, his successor as India's T20I captain, has done a commendable job in his first full series.
"It's early days (in his captaincy); I don't want to talk too much about it. He has done a great job, and let him continue doing it. We start jumping into things (judgment) quite quickly, regardless of wins or losses. Let him do things consistently, and then we can talk about it," he said.
Rohit Sharma also expressed grief at the passing of former India opener Anshuman Gaekwad. Gaekwad, 71, succumbed to blood cancer on Wednesday night after a long battle.
"Absolutely devastated to hear that news. We have had a few conversations during the BCCI awards and all. When I was playing in the Ranji Trophy, he was there to watch. There was a chance to speak to him.
He had a few things to talk about in my game as well, which was overwhelming for me because he was such a great cricketer for India. It was always nice to learn things from your seniors, just to understand how cricket was played back in the day. It was great learning for me then. Condolences to his family. When you lose your loved ones, it is always tough," he said.
(PTI inputs)
