Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir and selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar took a joint press conference before team India’s tour to Sri Lanka for a white-ball series, consisting of 3 dis and 3 T20Is. During the press conference held in Mumbai, Gambhir and Ajit shared their views on some of the topics which were mostly being talked about in Indian cricket. This included Hardik Pandya not being selected as the T20I skipper as Suryakumar Yadav was given the role. Gambhir and Ajit also talked about why Ravindra Jadeja was not picked for the ODI series, along with talking about future of Shubhman gill, both as a player and leader in the three formats of the game.
Here are the greatest points to note from the Gautam Gambhir – Ajit Agarkar press conference:
ODI future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma-
Gambhir did not rule out the possibility of selecting the duo for the next ODI World Cup in 2027. However, he sure did set a clear condition for their selection, saying that they could only be selected if they keep their fitness up to the mark.
“I think they’ve shown what they can deliver on the big stage whether it was the T20 World Cup and in the 50 over World Cup as well. I think both those guys have got a lot of cricket left in them and more importantly with the Champions Trophy and a big tour of Australia, obviously they would be motivated enough, and then hopefully they can keep their fitness till the 2027 World Cup as well. This is a very personal decision. I can’t say how much cricket is left in them.”
“Ultimately it’s up to them as well. It’s up to the players how much can they contribute to the team’s success because ultimately it’s the team that is important. But looking at what Virat and Rohit can deliver, I think they still have a lot of cricket and they’re still world-class players and obviously any team would want to have both of them for as long as possible,” Gambhir said.
T20I Captaincy and ODI future of Suryakumar Yadav-
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar made a confirmation that fitness issues of Hardik Pandya sculpted way for Suryakumar Yadav to get the T20I captaincy. But currently, Suryakumar is not given a place in India’s ODI squad. On top of not having a spot in the squad, the return of Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer has made competition for Surya even more tough.
Ravindra Jadeja being absent for the Sri Lanka ODIs-
Due to an intense schedule waiting for the Men I Blue, the selection committee preferred to give Ravindra Jadeja some time to have a break by not selecting him for the ODI series against the Island nation. Agarkar also had given words of confirmation that that Jadeja has not been dropped from the team.
“I think we should have clarified this when we announced the squad. He hasn’t been dropped (but rested). There are a lot of Test series coming up, and he will be playing a lot of those,” Agarkar said.
Handing the vice captain role to Shubhman Gill-
The opening batter has been announced as Team India’s vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is. This decision was made because of BCCI’s long-term plans for Shubhman. Agarkar confirmed that Gill is playing in all three formats and the selectors have done so to give him enough experience of this newly acquired leadership role, which will help him be comfortable with his skills.
“Shubhman Gill is the guy we feel is a three-format player. Has shown a lot more qualities over the last year, that’s what we hear from the dressing room. He has shown some decent leadership qualities. We want to try and give him the experience,” Agarkar said.
Hardik Pandya’s fitness concerns-
Along with giving the confirmation that Hardik is an extremely valuable player for the team to this day, Ajit admitted that Pandya’s fitness is the biggest reason of concerns for the selectors. With Hardik not being a captain, the team management has hopes to manage his workload and get his skills better.
“Fitness has been something that he’s struggled with. As selectors, it becomes difficult then. The thought behind it was that we want someone (as captain) who is likely to be available more.
“We also feel we can manage Hardik better, we’ve seen what he can do with the bat and ball in the World Cup. We speak to every player, about whether their role has changed. And yeah we’ve spoken to him.”
Return of Mohammad Shami-
The experienced pacer has not given his appearance for India since the conclusion of the ODI World Cup last year. Ajit revealed that Shami has started continuing with his bowling in the nets and might be available for Bangladesh Test series.
“He has started to bowl. The first Test is 19th September. That was always the goal (him making a comeback by that time). Whether he can make it back to the squad by that (Bangladesh series) time, I’ll have to speak with the guys at the NCA,” he said.
Relationship with Virat Kohli-
As rumours of Kohli’s relationship with Gambhir continue to to be a big point to be talked about, Gambhir confirmed that both will be doing their work for the same teams and so there is no question for their point of views to be divided. A far as it goes for their personal relationship, Gambhir refused to give any information, saying that it remains a private matter between the two.
“It (rumours of a tiff) is good for the TRP but my relationship with him has been good. What’s important is we are representing 140 crore Indians. We’ve shared messages. It’s not important if we have chatted before my announcement or after. He is a world-class player, I have huge respect for him,” said Gambhir.
