"You need these tough calls to be made at the earliest" - Former coach calls for Gautam Gambhir to start ODI transition after 2025 Champions Trophy

Former Indian captain Anil Kumble called on head coach Gautam Gambhir to start India's transition towards the 2027 ODI World Cup after the ongoing Champions Trophy. While India largely field a young side in T20Is, their ODI side still boasts several older players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Mohammed Shami.

To their credit, the Men in Blue have dominated the 50-over format, with the senior players playing a massive role, including an unbeaten run to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Yet, talking to ESPN Cricinfo ahead of the India-Bangladesh 2025 Champions Trophy game, Kumble felt the outcome of this tournament should have no bearing on India's ODI future.

"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. 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," he said.

Meanwhile, India began their 2025 Champions Trophy campaign in style, defeating Bangladesh convincingly by six wickets. Chasing a sub-par 229 for victory, the Men in Blue achieved the target in the 47th over, thanks to a sensational unbeaten century by Shubman Gill.

"In T20Is, he's done well" - Anil Kumble

India have been the dominant force in the shortest format over the past year [Credit: Getty]

Anil Kumble praised Gautam Gambhir for India's dominant T20I showing, urging him to do something similar with the 50-over squad after the ongoing Champions Trophy.

The Men in Blue went on an unbeaten run to win the 2024 T20 World Cup, following which Gambhir took over as India's head coach. Yet, India have continued their red-hot form since the World Cup, winning their next five bilateral T20I series.

"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," said Kumble.

He added:

"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."

T20Is aside, Gambhir has endured a dismal start to his coaching stint, with India losing the Test series against New Zealand at home and in Australia, along with a 0-2 ODI series loss in Sri Lanka.

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