By Four days after squads were picked for the limited-overs tour to Sri Lanka, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed key debates from the team selection. They chose Suryakumar Yadav over Hardik Pandya as Rohit Sharma’s deputy for the T20 World Cup due to Hardik’s injury concerns and positive feedback on Suryakumar from the dressing room. Despite this, Agarkar emphasized that Hardik remains an important player.
Gambhir highlighted his good relationship with Virat Kohli and expressed confidence in the future contributions of both Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He also discussed the importance of managing the workload of bowlers, especially Jasprit Bumrah, and his priority to maintain a happy and secure dressing room.
Surya vs Hardik, Bumrah’s Workload
The elevation of Suryakumar as captain, rather than Hardik following Rohit’s retirement from T20Is, was a significant talking point. Agarkar clarified that fitness was the main criterion and praised Suryakumar’s cricketing acumen and his status as one of the best T20 batters in the world. The decision was not made hastily but involved substantial thought and feedback from the dressing room.
Gambhir reiterated his positive relationship with Kohli and emphasized their shared goal of making India proud. He extolled Kohli and Rohit as thorough professionals with a lot of cricket left in them, particularly with the Champions Trophy and a big tour of Australia coming up. He hoped they could maintain their fitness to aim for the 2027 World Cup as well.
With Kohli and Rohit retired from T20Is, Gambhir stressed the importance of managing their workload, especially with a Test-heavy calendar later in the year. He noted that if a batsman is in good form, they should play consistently, pointing out that Kohli and Rohit would be available for most games as they now only focus on two formats.
