IND vs SL: Out of favour India pacer set to return? Gautam Gambhir's childhood coach makes bold prediction

File photo of Team India celebrating a wicket

Gautam Gambhir is known for taking bold decisions as we witnessed in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). And going forward we could see a similar pattern in the Indian cricket setup. Although Gambhir is struggling to finalise his support staff, few players, who have gone out of favour may get a recall in the national setup.

In an interaction with PTI, Gambhir's childhood coach, Sanjay Bharadwaj, hailed BCCI's decision to appoint his ward as the new head coach. During the discussion he also pointed out Gambhir's ability to extract the best out of players, and is optimistic that the former India opener will take the team to the pinnacle.

Bharadwaj also handpicked two names, who Gambhir can consider selecting in his maiden coaching stint. Out of the two names, one was Kuldeep Yadav, who has now been a regular in the Indian cricket team. However, the second name, which is Navdeep Saini, did raise a few eyebrows.

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"He could pick players like Kuldeep Yadav and Navdeep Saini (in the India team setup). They are his product. He also followed his instincts on West Indian all-rounder Sunil Narine (during IPL 2024). His observation and cricketing acumen were always outstanding," Bharadwaj said.

Despite being handed quite a few opportunities, Saini is yet to make a mark with the national team. He last played for India against Sri Lanka at the R.Premadasa Stadium in 2021 and with India scheduled to travel the island nation once again, this could be a perfect opportunity for the out of favour pacer.

In fact Saini was part of the second string Indian unit, which pulled a major heist in the Border-Gavaskar series back in 2020-21. He has so far represented India in 2 Tests, 8 ODIs, and 11 T20Is.

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Sharing his thoughts on Gambhir as the new head coach, Bharadwaj said: "With his batting, he won two World Cups for India in 2007 and 2011. As a player, you helped India win two World Cups, then propelled KKR to three IPL titles. You have a habit of taking up challenges and conquering them; be honest in your approach and repay the country's faith in you."