SL vs IND Key updates

On Monday (July 22), Gautam Gambhir addressed the media for the first time as head coach of the Indian men's team. Here are the key takeaways from his press conference. 

Gambhir attended the press conference in Mumbai alongside BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar, and the pair answered questions around India's squad selection for the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka, as well as the longer-term plans for the Indian team.

Why was Suryakumar Yadav given T20I captaincy over Hardik Pandya?

One of the more eye-catching decisions made for the Sri Lanka tour was the one to appoint Suryakumar Yadav as captain of the T20I team, ahead of previous vice-captain Hardik Pandya. Ajit Agarkar outlined that it was important for India to have a captain who could play regularly, and Pandya's recurring injuries had counted against him.

"Surya was made captain because he's one of the deserving candidates," Agarkar said. "He's got a good cricket brain, he's still one of the best T20 batters in the world. One of the main issues obviously is you want a captain who's likely to play all the games.

"As regards to Hardik, he's still a very important player for us. Those sorts of skillsets are very difficult to find, what he has. Fitness, obviously, has been a challenge for him over the last few years. Then it becomes a bit more difficult as a coach or a selector. The fitness is a clear challenge, and we want someone who is likely to be available more often than not."   

Abhishek Nayar, Ryan ten Doeschate to join Team India coaching staff

Amid much speculation over who would join Gambhir's coaching staff for India, a couple of confirmations were made by the head coach himself. Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate are set to join the team on tour to Sri Lanka, with Sairaj Bahutule also travelling.

Gambhir said, "The crux of the support staff will remain what it is right now, but we will finalise once the Sri Lanka tour is over. Abhishek [Nayar] as an assistant coach, Ryan ten Doeschate as assistant coach. I personally feel there could be assistant coaches who involve themselves more in all thre departments (batting, bowling, fielding) rather than focusing on just one.

"[For the Sri Lanka tour] Abhishek Nayar is there, Sairaj Bahutule is there, Dilip (fielding coach) is there and Ryan ten Doeschate is going to join in Colombo." 

Agarkar: All options are open for Ravindra Jadeja

The absence of Ravindra Jadeja from India's ODI squad for this tour had also raised eyebrows, and it seemed as though India might have called time on Jadeja's international career in white-ball cricket. But Agarkar stressed that the all-rounder had not been dropped, and that 'all options are open' for him.

"It would have been really pointless to take him and Axar [Patel] for this short series. We all know what Jaddu has done, he's had a terrific 50-over World Cup. So no, not at all dropped. I think all options are open. There's a big Test season coming up where he's likely to feature so I don't think three games would have mattered."

Gambhir: Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have a lot of cricket left in them

Gambhir was asked about the future of Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who had retired from T20I cricket following the World Cup triumph in June. The new head coach said the pair were very much in his thoughts for the foreseeable future, saying the following.

"I think they've shown what they can deliver on the big stage. One thing I can be very clear of, I know both of those guys have a lot of cricket left in them and more importantly with the Champions Trophy (in 2025), and a big tour of Australia, they would be motivated enough. And then hopefully, if they can keep their fitness, [they can play the] 2027 World Cup as well."

Agarkar: Shubman Gill is a three-format player for us

Opening batter Shubman Gill was appointed as India's vice-captain for the ODI and T20I formats for the Sri Lanka tour, just after leading India on a T20I tour of Zimbabwe. This was a shake-up of the pre-existing structure which had seen KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya serve as vice-captains to Rohit Sharma in ODIs and T20Is respectively.

Agarkar said on the leadership decisions, "We've got a chance to hit the reset button a little bit. This time in T20 when Hardik did get injured, it was a bit of a challenge when Rohit wasn't playing. We don't want that situation going forward.

"Shubman is the guy, we feel, again, he's a three-format player firstly. He seems to show a lot more qualities over the last year or so, that we hear from the dressing room. That's why we want to have somebody who can also learn from a couple of the senior guys, so we don't face the challenges of suddenly looking for a captain in case there are injuries or loss of form somewhere.

"He's shown decent leadership qualities and we want to try and get him the experience we can, going forward."  

Agarkar: Getting Rishabh Pant to play ODIs again is another step forward

The exclusion of Sanju Samson from India's ODI squad was considered harsh in some quarters, as he had made a century in his most recent match in South Africa. Rishabh Pant was selected, despite having played only T20 cricket since his return from over a year out with injury, earlier this year.

 

Agarkar explained the decision, saying, "With regards to Rishabh, before his unfortunate accident he's been a key player for us. You want to get him around the group again, playing again. KL [Rahul] has been terrific in one-day cricket, had a great World Cup as well. Unfortunately, someone had to miss out and in this instance it was Sanju.

"These guys will have to keep getting runs, keep performing because they know there is another quality player waiting. To get Rishabh playing 50-over cricket again will be another step forward."

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