Former Chennai Super Kings batter S Badrinath has taken a strong swipe at the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir over his push for all-rounders in the national side. The selection of Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan has once again brought the all-rounder debate into focus.
Badrinath feels India are trying too hard to create more multi-skilled players, even when some of them are struggling with fitness. The issue has become bigger after Rana failed his fitness test and was ruled out of both the Afghanistan series and the Asian Games. Amid this, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets reality check from Jasprit Bumrah ahead of IND vs AFG series.
Ahead of the T20I series against Afghanistan in Delhi, Subramaniam Badrinath has stressed that Washington Sundar and Nitish Reddy are genuine all-rounders, while Harshit Rana is still being developed in that role.
The cricket pundit also highlighted how Gautam Gambhir is strongly focused on building a team full of all-rounders and multi-skilled players. Badrinath believes that the Indian head coach’s approach has led to the trio being picked repeatedly despite fitness concerns.
S Badrinath said in a video posted on his YouTube channel, "All three come into the all-rounder category. In this, Sundar and Nitish are definite all-rounders. But with Harshit Rana, they are trying very hard to make him an all-rounder. Gautam Gambhir seems hell-bent on creating all-rounders and multidimensional cricketers. Because of that desperation, these three are constantly getting picked even when they are dealing with injury issues.”
Badrinath hits out at Gautam Gambhir’s selection strategy
The former CSK cricketer also pointed out that India still has not found a proven all-rounder who can properly fill the gap after Hardik Pandya, and he blamed Gautam Gambhir’s desperation to create more and more multi-skill players.
Badrinath added, “But they are not able to create the next proper all-rounder. There is no one after Hardik Pandya who is a proven all-rounder. But they are desperately trying to create more. This desperation is the reason they are getting picked even though they don't clear the fitness parameters.” Amid this, Ishan Kishan injury up Navdeep Saini shares India star’s fitness ahead of 1st T20I vs Afghanistan.
Harshit Rana’s absence raises fresh questions over India’s fitness calls as they gear up for big T20I assignments
Gambhir’s approach has once again raised eyebrows after Harshit Rana failed his fitness test. The fast bowler was expected to be part of India’s squad, but the Delhi lad has now been ruled out of the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan as well as the Asian Games 2026 in Japan.
His absence adds another problem to India’s plans, especially after the team had included several players returning from injuries in the 15-member squad, subject to fitness clearance.
Well, the Men in Blue have never lost a T20I against Afghanistan, winning eight of their nine meetings, with one match ending without a result. The teams last faced each other in T20Is during the 2024 T20 World Cup, where India secured a comfortable 47-run win in Bridgetown.
All three matches of the upcoming T20I series between India and Afghanistan will be played in Delhi. The first T20I will be played on Sunday, September 13, the second on September 15 and the third on September 17 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
Hence then, the article about s badrinath takes dig at gautam gambhir over all rounder obsession was published today ( ) and is available on cricketaddictor ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( S Badrinath takes dig at Gautam Gambhir over all-rounder obsession )
Also on site :
- ‘The View’s Sunny Hostin Defends AI As “New Art Form” Amid “Gatekeeping In Hollywood Around Black & Brown Creative Content”
- QIVIKA to Launch Smart Scope on Kickstarter, Bringing a Professional Long-Range Experience to Day-and-Night Exploration
- Walmart’s Plush Sleep Cardigan Is a Cozy Sidekick for Chilly Fall Evenings, and It Comes in 18 Colors