In a discussion on the same, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir highlighted how one player can’t be asked to play like the other. Hence, the selection of players, based on the ‘template’ is crucial.
“First, you need to identify the players who got that fearless approach, and probably in a format like 50 overs you need to have a mixture of every kind of player. There are players who can anchor their innings. Change in the role has also made a huge difference. During that time we had only one new ball, now we’ve got two new balls with five fielders inside. So, the role of a part-timer has gone out of the window. The reverse swings, you don’t see enough reverse swings anymore, and you don’t see enough the chase for the finger spinners as well. But, I always feel that when we talk about this new approach, which India always talks about, the template and stuff, you’ve got to identify players who can adapt those roles or that template very easily,” Gambhir said on Star Sports show ‘Road to World Cup Glory’.
Gambhir also gave the example of the likes of Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav, who both have contrasting styles of play.
“I can’t play like Yousuf (Pathan), he can’t play like me. If someone asks me to follow Yousuf’s template, I won’t be able to do that. Similarly, if someone asks Yousuf to follow my template, he won’t be able to do that. That is why the identification of players is very important.
Read more: https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/if-you-tell-virat-kohli-to-bat-like-suryakumar-yadav-gautam-gambhir-on-template-debate-3662557
