Talking about it since Kapil Dev: Gautam Gambhir urges India to move on from search of a pace all-rounder

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has urged the Indian team management to end their quest of finding a fast-bowling all-rounder who can contribute inboth departments. Over the last few years, India have tried a number of pace all-rounders like Vijay Shankar and Shivam Dube among others who have failed to cement a spot in the team.

The search seemed to have ended after star all-rounder Hardik Pandya's international debut in 2016 as he went on to shone with the bat and the ball to become an integral member of the squad across all formats. However, Pandya's career has gone downhill since back surgery in 2019 as he has refrained from bowling regularly.

Hardik's fitness issues led to the Indian team once again looking for fast-bowling all-rounders, who can contribute well. Venkatesh Iyer is the latest all-rounder to find a spot in the Indian team after his heroics for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 last year. While the expectations are huge from Iyer, he is yet to prove himself at the biggest stage.

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In the recently-concluded ODI series against South Africa, Iyer played the first two games where he managed only 24 runs before being dropped for the third and final encounter. In his debut T20I series against New Zealand, the left-hander batter had scored only 36 runs in two matches.

With India failing to find an all-rounder, who can be a long-term option, Gambhir has asked the team management to drop the search and focus on the players available. The former India opener believes the team management should not try to create something that they can't create.

"If you don't have something, don't go for it. You have to accept and move on. Don't try and create something which you can't create, that is where the problem lies," said Gambhir on Sports Today.

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Gambhir also criticised the idea of grooming a player at the international stage. Many have suggested that Venkatesh Iyer is currently being groomed as a finisher for the Indian team. Gambhir said India have been searching for a genuine fast-bowling all-rounder since Kapil Dev and that the team should move on.

"I have always believed that international cricket is all about delivering and not grooming someone. Grooming happens in domestic and India A level. When you represent your country, you should be ready to go out there and perform straightaway," said Gambhir.

"We keep talking about not having an all-rounder since Kapil Dev to be honest. So move on and try to develop people at the Ranji Trophy and once they get ready, get them in international cricket and stick with them. Don't keep changing them quickly. We have seen that with so many guys like Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube and now Venkatesh Iyer. We need to move on," he added.