The Champions Trophy team selection press conference was scheduled at 12.30 pm on Saturday. When eventually chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma took their seats at the media centre at Wankhede, it was close to 3 pm. Over a span of nearly three decades, this correspondent was never been to a team selection press conference that started on time. But even by the BCCI standards, the delay was unusual.
At the presser, Agarkar was asked about the reason for the delay. He spoke about how the selectors were discussing and seeking clarifications over some fitness issues. As the post-selection meeting leaks would suggest, there was more to it.
It's raining leaks in Indian cricket at the moment and the latest being the chief selector, plus the skipper, in disagreement with head coach Gautam Gambhir over a couple of calls. In fact, according to reports, the delay was not due to the fact that the selection committee was trying to get an update on Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness status. Rather, it was about whether to name Shubman Gill as Rohit’s deputy in India’s Champions Trophy squad.
According to a BCCI source, Gambhir wanted Hardik Pandya as vice-captain. But Gill was the preferred choice of both Agarkar and Rohit. Pandya has led the Indian ODI team in the past. He was Rohit’s deputy at the 2023 ODI World Cup before an ankle injury ruled him out of the tournament. Of late, however, the all-rounder has fallen out of favour as far as leadership is concerned. After the T20 World Cup last year, Suryakumar Yadav was appointed as India’s T20I captain. In the upcoming T20I series against England, Axar Patel was made Surya’s deputy instead of Pandya.
With regards to Gill, he was the Indian team’s vice-captain in the ODI series in Sri Lanka last year. And although the 25-year-old was criticised for his performances in the Test series in Australia, white-ball cricket is a completely different thing and the youngster boasts an ODI average of 58.20 over 47 games. He is a leadership investment for the future.
Coming to Sanju, Gambhir has always been a big-backer of the Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman. Also, Sanju has been a revelation in T20 cricket after being given a clear role of opening the innings. The head coach reportedly wanted him in the ODI set-up as well. But Agarkar and Rohit backed Rishabh Pant.
In 2023, when Pant was recovering from a horror car accident, KL Rahul cemented his place as a wicketkeeper-batsman in the ODI team. Even after Pant returned to the fold in Sri Lanka last year, Rahul remained the team management’s first-choice in that position. Meanwhile, Sanju falling out with the Kerala Cricket Association and not playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy didn't help his cause. Also, purely in terms of cricket qualities, in a straight contest with Pant, he loses out.
The southpaw hasn't yet replicated his Test exploits in the shorter formats. But he carries a certain X-factor. What he can do as a batsman on his day, others can't. His half-century on a very difficult SCG pitch in the second of the fifth Test against Australia served as the latest example of Pant's special ability. And he is a better wicketkeeper than Sanju.
At the press conference yesterday, Rohit was asked about his equation with Gambhir, and he said: “Both of us are very clear on what we wanted to do. I am not going to sit here and discuss what goes (on) behind the scenes.”
He added: “The basic talk that happens is only off the field; on the ground or maybe in the changing room. Once we take the field, it's all about what I do on the field. That's the kind of trust we have in each other. That's how it should be. That's about it.”
The Champions Trophy is going to be hugely important for India, and even if there are issues, Rohit and Gambhir need to come together to ensure a successful campaign.
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