Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to comment on Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma’s retirement plans when he was indirectly asked which player he thinks should retire from the game. Gautam Gambhir was even asked to name that player during a recent event.
Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are on the twilight of their careers, and the upcoming Test tour of England will determine the clear picture of their India picture if they get selected for the much-awaited five-match Test series, starting on June 20.
Gautam Gambhir calls retirement a ‘Personal Decision’
However, Virat and Rohit both contributed significantly to India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 triumph, but their performance in the Test series against New Zealand and Australia has raised many questions about their future, with many feeling their time is now up.
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Meanwhile, Gambhir felt it was a personal decision to retire from the game. The Indian head coach was left in a split when he was asked to name a player who should retire and why.
Gautam Gambhir said at the ABP News Summit, “This is a very, very irrelevant question. No, no, I can’t name any of the players. Retirement is a very personal decision. Okay.”
किस क्रिकेटर को रिटायर हो जाना चाहिए? जानिए क्या बोले गौतम गंभीर@MeghaSPrasad | @GautamGambhir#ABPIndiaAt2047 #IndiaAt2047Summit #ABPLive #ABPNetwork pic.twitter.com/0z2wY7QHve
— ABP News (@ABPNews) May 6, 2025
Gautam Gambhir slams farewell culture
Gambhir dismissed the idea of giving cricketers a planned farewell, calling it unnecessary hype. The Indian head coach mentioned that no player dreams of a grand send-off when they start their career, as the real goal is to win matches and serve the country, not to walk away with fanfare.
The head coach further explained, “No sportsman plays cricket thinking about a grand farewell. Rather than farewell, we should try and remember how and in which situations they have won matches for the country.”
“Whether he gets a farewell or not isn’t important. If he has made contributions to the country, that itself is a big enough farewell. Is there any bigger trophy than love from countrymen? Farewells don’t matter to cricketers.”
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Furthermore, Gambhir has insisted that both Rohit and Kohli should absolutely be part of the team till they are performing, reiterating that the retirement is an “individual decision.” The Indian head coach insisted that no coach, selector, or BCCI can tell a player to retire.
Gautam Gambhir addresses the misconception about him
When asked about the biggest misconception about him, Gambhir said that everything people assume about him is a misconception. The former Indian opener noted that people can never truly understand him unless they’ve known him personally. They are all misconceptions about him.
Well, Gambhir admitted that cricket was far easier for him than politics, as he has been playing cricket since childhood and feels most at home there. The former BJP MP said, “Cricket is easier. I have played cricket since childhood.”
And when it came to India’s iconic 2011 World Cup win, Gambhir has reiterated that it was the entire squad, not only MS Dhoni, that brought the trophy home. At the end, the Indian head coach said that anyone who wants to join politics should commit to the long term, at least 15 years.