Gautam Gambhir opens up dropping Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel from IND XI against BAN: ‘We don’t drop…’

India coach Gautam Gambhir has cleared the air on how the national team is selected while also giving insights on why Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel were dropped from the Indian XI against Bangladesh. Gambhir stated that the idea behind team selection is not to drop someone but instead to select someone to do the job for the country.

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In an interaction with JioCinema, Gambhir said, "A lot of people from outside might think that he's been dropped, but it's not about dropping someone. It's about selecting someone else to do the job for the team. If the other person can do the job for the team, then people will have to wait for their opportunities. That's how cricket goes. Sometimes, you have to wait for a much longer period of time than you should. Once you get the opportunity, you should be absolutely ready to grab it,"

"It will always be a challenge because there is so much (in Indian cricket) and ultimately, you can only select XI. But if you can select an XI, it can do the job for you (that's all that matters). And I have been a firm believer that we don't drop anyone. We select anyone. So there's a way of looking at things," the Indian coach added

Notably, players like Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul were missing for one reason or the other when the Men in Blue played Test cricket. Instead, younger players like Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel had played in these positions. However, with the veterans coming back in the side, Jurel and Sarafaraz did not find a space in the India XI despite delivering consistent performances.

‘You live on the edge…’: Gambhir on communication to dropped players

Gambhir categorically stated that these players were not ‘dropped’ from the side while also sharing he knows how vulnerable a sportsman can be in such a situation.

"I know how vulnerable a sportsman can be. You literally live on the edge if you don't get paid or if you get dropped... I know how tough it is for a player. I have experienced it, Rohit has experienced it, the chairman of selectors must have experienced it. So, when you have experienced such things, you try and help the guy by giving him the right message and that is what's gonna happen this time." Gambhir added

India squad for Bangladesh Tests:

Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.