NEW DELHI: Former India opener
Gautam Gambhir
feels players should be picked based on their batting and bowling skills and rejecting them just on the basis of their fitness test scores is not the right way.
Gambhir, who was the mentor to Indian Premier League champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2024 season, is the leading candidate to replace
Rahul Dravid
for the India head coach job after the
T20 World Cup
in the Americas.
Gambhir asserted that fitness should be a factor for players but not selecting them based on their yo-yo test numbers is unfair.
"Fitness should be a factor, but I also do not agree that we have to pass a fitness test to be called fit. I don't agree to that. Fitness should directly be related to the trainer. If a trainer feels that you're fit enough, some people are physically strong from a point of view that they can lift a lot of weights in the gym," Gambhir told Sportskeeda during an interaction.
"But if you don't select someone just because of a yo-yo test, I don't think that's the right way. You select players on their talent, on their battling skills, on their bowling skills. And it is the trainer's job to keep working on their fitness and keep making them better physically as well. Just because someone doesn't pass a yo-yo test and doesn't get selected, I think that is a bit unfair," he added.
Dravid earlier had made it clear that the T20 World Cup will be his last assignment with the Indian team.
Gambhir is being seen as Dravid's successor but it remains unclear if he has applied for the job.
Gambhir also recently said he would 'love to coach' the national team.
“I would love to coach the Indian team. There is no bigger honour than coaching your national team. You are representing 140 crore Indians and those across the globe as well,” said the 42-year-old at an event in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Gambhir was a key member of the Indian team that won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup.
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