On July 22, Gautam Gambhir attended his first press conference as Team India’s Head Coach. The Chairman of the Selection Committee, Ajit Agarkar, joined him, and they discussed recent selection decisions and the future prospects for stars like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Ajit Agarkar also briefly explained the decision to give the T20I captaincy to Suryakumar Yadav instead of Hardik Pandya.
Highlights from Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar’s press conference
T20I Captaincy Decision: When asked why Hardik Pandya was not preferred as T20I captain, Agarkar cited his fitness and workload as the reasons which prevented them from making him the full-time India captain. “Suryakumar Yadav was made captain because he is one of the deserving candidates. He is one of the best T20I batters. You want a captain who is likely to play all the games. Hardik Pandya’s fitness has been a challenge for him,” said Ajit Agarkar.
Rohit and Kohli’s Future: Gautam Gambhir was asked how he will manage Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The Indian Head Coach replied, “Virat and Rohit have now retired from T20Is, so you can expect them to be available for most games in the other formats for India.”
“They’ve shown what they can deliver on the big stage. It’s a personal decision, and I can’t speak for them. Any team would like to have those two for as long as possible,” Gambhir further added.
Why Ravindra Jadeja is Missing Out on ODIs: Agarkar revealed that Jadeja has not been dropped but they have preferred Axar Patel over him. Agarkar hinted that Jadeja is likely to retain his spot in the Test team. “There was no point in picking both Axar and Jadeja. One would have been benched anyway. Jadeja is not dropped. A long Test season is coming,” said Chief Selector Agarkar
Gautam Gambhir on His Relationship with Virat Kohli: A journalist asked Gambhir about his relationship with Kohli, a hot topic since Gambhir’s appointment as Head Coach. As both have shared some tense moments on the the field before.
Gambhir replied, “What relationship I have with Kohli is not for the public. Every player has the right to fight for his team on the field. We’ve shared a lot of chats. Both of us want the best for Indian cricket. Kohli is a world-class athlete, a world-class player, and I’ve always had the utmost respect for him as a player.
Why Shubman Gill Was Named India’s Vice-Captain: Gill wasn’t included in the T20 World Cup squad that won in Barbados, but he’s now named vice-captain of the India team, which was surprising to some. Agarkar responded, “Gill is a three-format player; he has shown decent leadership qualities and can learn from Surya and Rohit moving forward.”