If selectors want to look beyond Virat, Rohit and Rahul, so be it: Gautam Gambhir
New Delhi, Dec 29: Double world champion Indian opener Gautam Gambhir believes that if the national selection committee believes in looking beyond seniors like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, then "so be it".
The highest individual scorer in 2007 and 2011 World Cup triumphs also wants more clarity when it comes to the status of individual players vis-a-vis their place in the team. The BCCI has not clarified if the trio along with Rishabh Pant has been rested or dropped for white-ball series against Sri Lanka starting January 3.
"There should be clarity. There should be good communication between the selectors and these players. If the selectors have decided to look beyond these guys, so be it. I think a lot of countries have done that," Gambhir told ESPNcricinfo on Thursday.
Gambhir didn't understand the fuss about dropping of senior players.
"We make too much of a hue and cry when the selectors and management look beyond certain individuals.
"Ultimately, it's not about the individuals, but how you want to go about your plans for the next (T20) World Cup (in 2024), because you want to go in there and win it. If these guys haven't been able to achieve that, I think you never know. People like Suryakumar, the younger generation can go on to achieve that dream."
Gambhir felt that the comeback of the trio in the shortest format looks tough as of now.
"Personally, if you ask me, it looks tough," Gambhir said. "People like Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan should all be in the mix. Hardik Pandya is there, I'd like to try to get guys like Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tripathi and Sanju Samson into the mix. They can play fearless cricket."
Gambhir didn't forget to take a dig at the "aggressive template" often spoken in public forums by the current team management headed by Rahul Dravid as mere lip service.
"We've spoken so much about the template and stuff going into the previous (T20) World Cup, that we want to play at a certain template, that we want to play aggressive cricket, but when it came to a crunch game (semi-final against England), all that template went out of the window."
He believes that new crop of players can only achieve this template.
"Probably, the new generation of cricketers might be able to achieve that template and play the T20 cricket everyone wants India to play. So I feel, if these guys continue to do well in the opportunities they get, it will be difficult for the rest of the the guys who have been rested or probably been dropped."
Pant has been dropped
As far as Rishabh Pant, who will report to NCA in the first week of January for a strength and conditioning programme, is concerned, Gambhir feels that he has been dropped from white-ball cricket for his consistency.
"First of all, the selectors need to be very clear if he's been rested or dropped," Gambhir said. "According to me, he (must have been) dropped from white-ball cricket. There has never been enough clarity. This word called 'rest' is great to have; it wasn't there when we were playing. Either we were dropped or selected."
Gambhir wants Ishan Kishan to get his fair share of opportunities.
"Rishabh had got his opportunities in white-ball cricket and hasn't been able to grab it, and someone else like Ishan Kishan has been able to grab it. So probably now he should just focus on red-ball cricket, and if his turn comes, whenever he gets that opportunity, try and grab it."
He doesn't see Pant making a comeback in T20 fold in near future.
"I don't see that happening in the near future, if Ishan continues to play the way he's playing. Because we keep talking about that template, but people like Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav -- that template comes to them naturally."
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'Godman' Kharat held in 8th sexual exploitation case; court denies police remand, sends him to jail
Nashik (PTI): Police took custody of self-proclaimed godman-cum-astrologer Ashok Kharat in an eighth case related to sexual exploitation of women and produced him before a Nashik district court which sent him to jail till May 12 after rejecting the plea for his police remand on Thursday.
On April 29, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Nashik police in north Maharashtra filed a request application in the court demanding Kharat's custody in the eighth case.
After the court granted them the necessary permission, the SIT took custody of Kharat, who was in jail in connection with the seventh case of sexual exploitation registered against him.
The 'godman', named in a dozen FIRs related to rape and financial fraud, was produced before Chief Judicial Magistrate B N Ichpurani in the eighth case through video conferencing due to security reasons.
The eighth case related to Kharat allegedly sexually exploiting a woman who had approached him in search of solutions to her family problems, according to police.
During the hearing, the prosecution demanded police custody of the accused in the latest case.
However, the defence strongly opposed the demand and argued that the SIT was giving same reasons for police custody every time and there was no strong reason for accepting their plea.
The court accepted the argument put forth by the defence and remanded Kharat to judicial custody till May 12 in the eighth case.
The SIT will produce Kharat in the court on Friday again and seek his police custody in the ninth case. As the self-styled godman has been granted judicial custody in the eighth case, he will be sent to Nashik Road Central Jail and the SIT will take his custody from there.
Meanwhile, Kharat's judicial custody in the fourth case ended on Thursday. On April 18, the accused was remanded to judicial custody till April 30 in the fourth case of sexual exploitation of women.
In a related development, the SIT conducted a search at Kharat's office in the 'Canada Corner' area of Nashik city on Wednesday. A 'panchnama' (record of search and seizure proceedings) was conducted and the office was locked and sealed again.
Kharat, a well-heeled man with political connections, was arrested for the first time on March 18 after a woman alleged he had repeatedly raped her for three years.
He is accused of sexually exploiting several women by claiming to have divine powers and knowledge of black magic, and also committing large-scale financial fraud.
The SIT is conducting a probe into 12 cases of sexual exploitation and financial fraud registered against the astrologer in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts.
