Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar faced the music in their first press conference together since the former took the reins of Team India head coach. A barrage of questions from the media on their squad selections for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka got to them.
While they provided some clarity on their thought process behind choosing Suryakumar Yadav as T20I skipper over Hardik Pandya and their plans for workload management of senior players like Rohit, Kohli, and Bumrah, some burning questions still linger. The exclusion of talented individuals in Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Abhishek Sharma from the squad remained a sore point.
What about the Pandya-captaincy saga?
Well, the very first question posed by media to the Chief selector was about the Suryakumar Yadav & Hardik Pandya and why was the former chosen as the new T20I skipper. Agarkar overtly mentioned that Pandya’s injury concerns were taken into account and SKY was a deserving candidate. “The thought behind it was that we want someone (as captain) who is likely to be available more,” said Agarkar.
While the reasoning may sound correct, the question remains on as to why Pandya was looked as the future captain at the first place then? Remember when the stylish all-rounder captained India in absence of Rohit in the shortest format. In fact, Pandya led the country 16 times, and was even the deputy during the 2023 ODI World Cup and 2024 T20 World Cup. Now, Pandya isn’t even the vice-captain despite being in the squad. Moreover, Pandya has missed the ODI squad due to personal reasons.
Ravindra Jadeja now only Test player?
It raised quite a few eyebrows when BCCI decided not to include Ravindra Jadeja in the ODIs. The newly retired T20I player has been one of the cornerstones of Indian cricket across formats and the management seemed to move on from him. They, instead, included Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in the ODIs, with both all-rounders making their names through recent performances.
Upon answer a question on Jadeja, Agarkar said, “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.” While the former pacer mentioned that we should not think that Jaddu has been dropped, he iterated that Jaddu is rather rested for the ten Test matches that are scheduled after the Sri Lankan series.
If Jadeja is being rested for red-ball cricket, we should get a hint that may be the ODI format is second priority for him. Gautam Gambhir, the new head coach, might be feeling that team needs Jadeja more in Tests, given his renowned all-round abilities.
If Gill is a 3-format player then what about Jaiswal?
During the press conference, Agarkar hyped Shubman Gill as India’s all-format opener, citing his impressive performance and qualities showcased in the dressing room. However, this raises a pertinent question: what about Yashasvi Jaiswal?
Jaiswal has been nothing short of phenomenal in Tests and T20Is, making him an undroppable asset for Team India. His talent and potential are undeniable, and many believe he is not only the future but present of Indian cricket. Jaiswal’s talent screams for a permanent spot, but Gill brings experience to the table. Maybe they can even open together?
Jaiswal’s exclusion from the ODI squad, despite his impressive form, raised eyebrows. If Gill can excel in all three formats, why not Jaiswal? More so, fans have been shouting for Jaiswal-Abhishek Sharma pair to open in the shortest format.
Nothing on Samson, Gaikwad & Abhishek?
Dropping big names meant big question marks! The selectors left fans scratching their heads after dropping some in-form players from the Sri Lanka squad.
Sanju Samson shone bright with a century in India’s last ODI, yet he wasn’t picked in the 50-over format. Of course, Rishabh Pant’s a beast, but what about Samson? The Kerala-born glovesman averages over 56 and has a strike rate of almost 100 in the format.
What about Ruturaj Gaikwad? The CSK skipper led India to Asian Games gold and played at different slots in the Zimbabwe T20Is. However, he wasn’t in any of the squads. Even Abhishek Sharma, who clicked all the boxes as a perfect T20 batter, was snubbed from the T20Is. When asked about Samson and Gaikwad snubs, Agarkar dodged the question, saying “Every player left out feels hard done. You’ve got to see who’s picked ahead. At this stage, we had the opportunity to send guys to Zimbabwe. Sometimes it’s just the way things go.”
Team India squads vs Sri Lanka
T20I: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.
ODI: Rohit Sharma (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.
