Boost for these IPL stars under Gautam Gambhir, report states. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli To…

Gautam Gambhir’s long-awaited appointment as India’s head coach could provide a new lease of life to IPL champion captain Shreyas Iyer’s international career during the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in July-August. Having successfully led Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, Iyer could also go for the five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe from July 5, but the most realistic chance of a comeback is the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Gambhir, who is the favorite for India’s coaching job, and Iyer formed a successful partnership during KKR’s victorious IPL campaign this year and the talented Mumbai right-hander, who was a prolific hitter in his 50s, may finally have fortune on his side after a tumultuous few months. Gambhir was the mastermind behind the franchise.

Iyer was dropped from BCCI central contracts, along with Ishan Kishan, after he fell out with the system over his apparent reluctance to play in the Ranji Trophy.

However, Iyer has always maintained that his recurring lower back problem kept him out of the game, although he played in the Ranji Trophy final scoring 90 runs.

Currently, many young aspirants, who have played in the IPL, are training at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for five T20Is against Zimbabwe, which will be announced next week.

“Shreyas is not currently with the NCA. Here are mainly the players who played in the IPL and will be in contention for the Zimbabwe team.

“Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Mayank Yadav, Harshit Rana, Nitish Reddy, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Dayal are all in the camp. Some will go to the Zimbabwe T20Is,” a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

“However, there is every possibility that Shreyas will travel for the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka. The last ODI India played was in South Africa and he scored a half-century (52). He had over 500 runs (530) in the World Cup and averages around 50. Can you knock him off he added.

It is understood that seniors like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, along with pace leader Jasprit Bumrah, will now focus on ODIs and Tests for the remainder of the season, with nine WTC Tests between September 2024 and January 2025.

The schedule includes two home games against Bangladesh and New Zealand, five away games against Australia and the famous ODI Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

While there are many new players in the T20Is, including IPL stars, the likes of Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, Avesh Khan and Khaleel Ahmed are also expected to travel to Zimbabwe.

If Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav are not rested, they are expected to be the designated captain and vice-captain for the tour, although both have played consistently since the start of the IPL.