Gautam Gambhir On Yuvraj Singh:
Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir has backed the views of Yuvraj Singh on the shortage of role models in the present Indian squad. In a recent conversation with India’s white-ball vice-captain Rohit Sharma in a live session on Instagram, Yuvraj had speculated that a sense of respect for seniors has become a thin line in the Indian team and fewer guys are looking up for younger players.
Gambhir affirmed Yuvraj’s thoughts and gave some examples of how seniors likes Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, and Anil Kumble among others, helped the youngsters settle in the team during their playing days. Gambhir said there are not enough seniors on the current Indian side and player’s self-interest is held above supporting youngsters.
“I agree with Yuvraj that there is a dearth of role models in the Indian team right now, as in the 2000s, we’ve had Dravid, Kumble, Laxman, Sourav, and Sachin to guide the team. It’s vital to have senior players around you who can support you through a rough patch. I don’t think there are enough seniors in the Indian camp right now, who are setting aside their self-interest to support the youngsters, “Gambhir said.
Captain Virat Kohli, Rohit, and Shikhar Dhawan are only senior players on the side except for former captain MS Dhoni, who hasn’t played international cricket for over eight months now. Although Dhawan isn’t a regular player in all three formats, Rohit and Kohli are the team’s most experienced players playing in all formats.
During his live chat with Yuvraj on Instagram, Rohit asked the hero of India’s 2011 World Cup-winning team about the disparity between the Indian teams that won the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the Indian side at the moment.
“In this team, seniors are you (Rohit) and Virat (Kohli) who play all three formats. I just feel since social media has come, there are very less guys to look up to. That sense of respect for seniors…it has become a thin line,” Yuvraj said.
