Gautam Gambhir to Address Hardik’s Injustice and Surya’s Ascension in First Press Conference as India Coach
Gautam Gambhir will answer several burning questions in the press conference after India picked its twin squads for the Sri Lanka tour.
From being one of the most decorated Indian players to becoming the new head coach of the Men In Blue, Gautam Gambhir’s odyssey as a long-time servant of Indian cricket is well documented. Before the two-time ICC World Cup winner arrives in Sri Lanka for his first assignment as head coach, Gambhir is set to chair a traditional press conference alongside chief selector Ajit Agarkar on Monday. A lot has happened since Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah unveiled Gambhir as Rahul Dravid’s successor at Team India.
Announcing his takeover by taking the high-profile job, newly appointed head coach Gambhir marked a new dawn in Indian cricket by sanctioning the elevation of top-ranked Indian T20I batter – Suryakumar Yadav. India’s squad announcement for the Sri Lanka series, featuring the unexpected returns of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the One Day International (ODI) series against Sri Lanka, was also punctuated by the appointment of Surykumar as the new T20I captain.
Suryakumar pipped overwhelming favourite Hardik Pandya to take over the captaincy reins from an already-retired Rohit in T20Is. Addressing his first-ever press conference, Gambhir is unlikely to duck any questions from reporters. Gambhir’s explanation of India’s rationale behind passing the captaincy to Suryakumar instead of Hardik is much-anticipated in his first public address as the head coach. Known for his no-nonsense approach, the shrewd tactician is also tipped to deal with the barrage of burning questions with aplomb.
Injustice meted out to Hardik Pandya?
Why was Hardik told to take a backseat if changing guards was inevitable? Former Indian batting coach Sanjay Bangar minced no words when the ex-India all-rounder asserted that a bit of injustice had been meted out to Hardik. The 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) winning captain is already Rohit’s heir at Mumbai Indians (MI). Completing his redemption at the ICC T20 World Cup, Hardik showed nerves of steel by bowling the final over against South Africa in the summit clash of the T20 World Cup. Hardik was even removed from the vice-captaincy post in the shortest format for the Sri Lanka tour. Where does the ascension of Surykumar leave Hardik?
Shubman Gill will run for India captaincy across formats?
One head coach and one captain across all formats. So, who is being groomed as captain Rohit’s successor across formats in the Gambhir era? The writing’s on the wall. Hardik’s demotion as vice-captain elevated Shubman Gill to the deputy role at Team India across formats. Gill was declared India’s vice-captain for the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka. The former world no.1 batter became the newest member of the leadership group in the build-up to Gambhir’s appointment. Gill guided Team India to a 4-1 series win over Zimbabwe in his first assignment as T20I captain. Is the Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper next in line for all-format India captaincy?
What’s next for ‘Ravindra Jadeja’ in GG era?
Team India faithful were in euphoria when the BCCI confirmed Rohit and Kohli are headlining the ODI series against Sri Lanka under Gambhir’s watch. Kohli’s equation with Gambhir also became a focal point in the aftermath of the squad announcement. Only a handful questioned Ravindra Jadeja’s absence in ODIs. Jadeja also retired from T20Is after Kohli and Rohit dropped the retirement bomb in the Caribbean. Are Washington Sundar and Axar Patel leading the all-rounder’s race? If yes, then what’s next for Jadeja?
Any further questions? The presser follow-ups
Interestingly, Jadeja is a moniker for rejected candidates. He was not the only veteran or young in-form candidate snubbed from the Sri Lanka tour. Sanju Samson was added to T20I, but the power-hitter didn’t feature in the ODI squad. Samson was ton-up when he last played a 50-over format for India in 2023. Opener Abhishek Sharma smashed a record-setting century in his debut series. The young blood was overlooked for the T20I series against the Islanders.
In the same IPL season where Gambhir masterminded KKR’s title triumph, veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal finished his campaign with 18 wickets. The spin wizard of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) also became the all-time leading wicket-taker. For India, it has been challenging to accommodate pure spinners in its squad. Maybe that’s why Chahal remained a benchwarmer at the T20 World Cup. Is having a blend of batting and bowling all-rounders in the Indian lineup the Gambhir way forward? Over to you, GG.
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