Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha said Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma honored newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir by making themselves available for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Earlier, it was reported that the veteran duo could be rested for the tour. As Gambhir had earlier said that he is not a big fan of managing workload and the players should be available to play for the national team if they are fit. However, Gambhir recently admitted it is crucial to manage workload of India’s champion fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who has been rested for Sri Lanka.

“We were hearing that perhaps Virat and Rohit will take a break from ODI. But Gautam Gambhir was starting his tenure, so he talked and gave clarity about his thoughts. So both the senior players honored him. So this is a good thing. This shows that there will be clarity in the team. The coach, captain, senior player, the core team, when they think in one direction, you get a good team. When you see the clarity in the team, you think the team can win,” said Ojha on Sports Tak.

Gambhir recently commented that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli can play in the ODI World Cup 2027 if they are fit. Ojha, former left-arm orthodox spinner, believes good communication between the players, head coach, the selectors is important.

“How India will move forward, how Virat and Rohit will look at themselves. Because it is a Champions Trophy, after that, we are talking about the World Cup in 2027, how to reach there, what to do, so that road map will be made. And the best thing is that the clarity of communication will be very good. Because Gautam Gambhir, Virat and Rohit played a lot of cricket together. They know each other very well,” said Ojha.

India will take on Sri Lanka in the first T20I at Pallekele on Saturday.