IMAGE: K L Rahul and Rishabh Pant face a battle with each other for the wicketkeeper-batter's slot in the Indian ODI team. Photograph: BCCI
Skipper Rohit Sharma said it is a tough decision to pick India's wicketkeeper batter in ODIs between K L Rahul and Rishabh Pant, maintaining that both the players are 'match-winners' in their own way.
Pant made a comeback to international cricket after a long injury lay-off during the T20 World Cup, while Rahul will be eyeing his first one-day game since January during the opening match against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday.
"It's a tough call (wicketkeeper-batter between Rahul and Pant) to make. Both are quality players, and you know the abilities of both the players. They are match-winners in their own way. They have won a lot of games for us in the past," Rohit said on Thursday.
Rohit said it is always nice to have a problem of plenty rather than not having it.
"It is not easy to pick a team or a player when you have quality like that. It is always nice to have problems like that while picking up the teams, so you know that there is quality in the squad. I look forward to these kind of problems till I am the captain," he said.
Rohit said whoever gets picked eventually, the important aspect for the player is to express himself freely.
The 37-year-old said the management has already created a relaxed atmosphere in the dressing room so that the players can pursue their game without trepidations.
"The most important thing is to allow the freedom to players, so that they will be able to do that and it is our job to ensure that we create that environment. Yes, we have already created that environment
for players to come here and play freely.
"So, that they do not (need to) think too much about their own performance, result etc. If you are playing the game the team wants you to play, then we are more than happy," he added.
Rohit said Suryakumar Yadav, his successor as India's T20I captain, has done a good job in his first full series.
"It's early days (in his captaincy); I don't want to talk too much about it. He has done a great job, and let him continue doing it.
"We start jumping into things (judgement) quite quickly, regardless of wins or losses. Let him do things consistently, and then we can talk about it," he said.
Under Suryakumar's leadership, India etched a 3-0 win over Sri Lanka in the recent T20I series, and Rohit termed it as a good beginning.
"It's definitely a good start for them in that format. They played well as a unit, which is what Team India is all about. I'm sure they are heading in the right direction," he said.
Rohit said he was "devastated" after hearing about the death of former Indian cricketer Anshuman Gaekwad, who succumbed to blood cancer on Wednesday after a lengthy battle.
"Absolutely devastated to hear that news. We have had a few conversations during the BCCI awards and all. When I was playing the Ranji Trophy, he was there to watch.
"There was a chance to speak to him," Rohit said.
The skipper said it was a nice experience for him to learn from a senior cricketer, who played during a very different era of cricket.
"He had a few things to talk about my game as well, which was overwhelming for me because he was such a great cricketer for India. It was always nice to learn things from your seniors, just to understand how cricket was played back in the day.
"It was great learning for me then. Condolences to his family. When you lose your loved ones, it is always tough," he said.