Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma will play massive role: Gambhir pins hopes on senior pros for 2023 ODI World Cup

After an ordinary run in 2022, Team India kicked off their run in 2023 with a narrow win over Sri Lanka in the first T20I of their three-match series on home soil. The year 2023 is an important one for the national side with the WTC final, in June, and the ODI World Cup later this year. It will be hosted entirely by India and Rohit Sharma & Co. have lots to do if they wish to win the ODI WC and end their nine-year-long ICC-title drought.

With the commencement of 2023, BCCI held a review meeting with head coach Rahul Dravid, captain Rohit and NCA chief VVS Laxman to discuss the road ahead for Team India and review last year's T20 World Cup debacle. As per reports, 20 players have been shortlisted for the marquee event and their fitness and progress will be closely monitored by the BCCI and team management in the run-up to the ODI WC. Amid all this, former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has backed Rohit and Virat Kohli to come good and believes they can anchor the innings as they play spin really well. Gambhir feels Rohit and Kohli will play a 'massive role' in the upcoming WC.

"I feel people like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and all those guys who can anchor their innings, who probably can play spin really well will play a massive role the coming World Cup," said Gambhir, while speaking on Star Sports show 'Road to World Cup Glory'. He also asked the team management to identify players who can fit into the template they are looking to form for the big event. "First, you need to identify the players who got that fearless approach and probably in a format like 50 overs you need to have a mixture of every kind of player. There are players who can anchor their innings. Change in role has also made a huge difference. During that time we had only one new ball, now we have got two new balls with five fielders inside.

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"So, the role of a part timer has gone out of the window. The reverse swings, you don't see enough of reverse swings anymore, you don't see enough of chase for the finger spinners as well. But, I always feel that when we talk about this new approach, which India always talks about, the template and stuff, you have got to identify players who can adapt those roles or that template very easily," Gambhir asserted.

Gambhir added that if some players cannot adapt to the new template, there is no point in trying to fit them into the side. "Some people just cannot adapt to that template so why push them to play in a certain way which doesn't come naturally to them. So, for me, I think identifying players and at the same time getting the right mix is very important, rather than thinking that we have to play at a certain template so we got to select all the 15 with a similar mind-set or with a similar template," he added.

It is believed that Rohit, Kohli and few others will not play a lot of T20Is this year and shift their focus entirely on the ODI WC. The upcoming 50-over showpiece event can be Rohit and Kohli's last international appearance and the duo will be desperare to sign off on a high.