The selectors opted to replace Kohli with Rohit Sharma as Team India’s ODI skipper after the former gave up the T20I captaincy on his own. However, with Sharma ruled out of the ODI series against South Africa due to a hamstring injury, KL Rahul will be leading the side in his place.
During a discussion on the Star Sports show Game Plan, Gautam Gambhir was asked whether we are going to see a new Kohli. He responded:
The former India cricketer added that Kohli’s sole focus should be on scoring runs and winning matches for the team. Gambhir elaborated:
Kohli will hope to silence all his critics with his performances with the bat during the ODI series against South Africa. He will also want to end the long wait for an international century from his blade.
“Virat Kohli’s role doesn’t change one bit” - Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir was also asked about the role he sees Virat Kohli playing going forward. He replied:
The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by reiterating that other than performing the captaincy duties, the expectations would be the same as earlier from the former India skipper. Gambhir observed:
While Kohli may not have scored an ODI century over the last couple of years, he still had an excellent record in the format. The Indian batting mainstay amassed 560 runs at an impressive average of 46.67 in the 12 ODIs he played in 2020 and 2021 and breached the 50-run mark on seven occasions.
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