'Can't Judge Someone': Gambhir Outrightly Dismisses Iyer's Shocking Claim Of Nearly Being Rested For 1st IND vs ENG ODI

Rohit Sharma -led India have steamrolled Jos Buttler's England in the recently concluded India vs England three-match ODI series. India won the series 3-0 and they look like a settled side before the ICC Champions Trophy starts on February 19. India sustained a huge blow to their Champions Trophy aspirations with Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out of the series, but the 'Men in Blue' will have to find a way to put this setback behind and put their best foot forward. The 2025 edition of the Champions Trophy will be played in a 'Hybrid Model' and India are scheduled to play all their matches in Dubai.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shocked many fans and experts by naming Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, two designated openers in the same squad. Though Gill has a bigger sample size and better numbers as compared to Jaiswal, but the southpaw might have been picked purely on the basis of his performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Jaiswal did make his ODI debut in the India vs England match, but failed to deliver a promising performance.

Gautam Gambhir Clarifies Shreyas Iyer's Shocking Claim

Shreyas Iyer has continued to deliver for India at number 4. He was also a part of the Indian team that qualified for the finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup . Iyer ended up scoring 181 runs from the three India vs England ODI matches that were played recently. After the opening match of the series, Iyer gave a very shocking statement and claimed that he wasn't a part of the Indian eleven, but an injury to Virat Kohli , allowed the management to pick him in the eleven.

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Now India Head Coach Gautam Gambhir has presented his side of the story which is contradictory to what Iyer had said. 'He wasn't supposed to be benched throughout the series. We wanted to give Yashasvi Jaiswal a go in the first game and see what he can bring on the table because he was in really good form in Australia. I know that you can't judge someone (Jaiswal) by one innings. But we always knew that Shreyas was going to be an important player for us. Sometimes when you've only got three games, you want to try and rotate your squad as well', said Gambhir.

India To Face Bangladesh In Champions Trophy Campaign Opener

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India will play all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai. The upcoming ICC event will be played in a 'Hybrid Model', as India had refused to play in Pakistan. India start their Champions Trophy campaign on February 20, 2025 against neighbours and arch-rivals Pakistan.