Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid changed Team India’s approach and it helped the Men in Blue in winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. With Rahul Dravid leaving the coaching staff and Rohit Sharma retiring from T20Is, it would be interesting to see how new coach Gautam Gambhir takes the team forward.

On Tuesday, Suryakumar Yadav‘s unit had their first net session at the Pallekele International Stadium ahead of the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. Gambhir watched the proceedings closely and stuck to Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid’s blueprint.

After motivational words from Suryakumar; Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal faced 10 deliveries each and were told to play attacking shots.

Gambhir had conversation with Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar, and Jaiswal. Pandya was told to bowl first before he batted. He played proper shots under the guidance of new assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.

Hardik looked good despite facing issues in his personal life. Pandya and Natasa Stankovic have parted ways after four years. The all-rounder was not given T20I captaincy despite being ahead of other candidates.

“Hardik is a very important player for us. It is difficult to find a player like him. However, he has been battling fitness issues in the past two years and it is important to allow him to show his skills as a player. We wanted a skipper who is available in all the matches,”Ajit Agarkar said.