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Rohit, Agarkar join forces to dismiss Gambhir's 'demands' in the selection meeting
Follow UsThe meeting was extended for a couple of hours and it was largely because of them not being on the same page on two points
Indian captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir and selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar were all present in the meeting where the team for the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series against England, starting on February 6, and the 2025 Champions Trophy, starting on February 19, was picked.
The meeting was extended for a couple of hours, and according to a report in Dainik Jagran, it was largely because the three aforementioned names were not on the same page on two points.
While Rohit and Agarkar wanted Shubman Gill as vice-captain, Gambhir wanted to give that position to Hardik Pandya. Similarly, the former two were in favour of Rishabh Pant being in the squad as one of the two wicketkeeper-batters alongside KL Rahul, while Gambhir wanted Sanju Samson.
India eventually went with what Rohit and Agarkar wanted as Gill was announced as India’s vice-captain for the Champions Trophy, with Pant also being named in the squad. Pant averages 33.50 after 31 ODIs, while Samson has 510 runs in 16 ODIs at an average of 56.66. In his last ODI, the right-hander from Kerala smashed 108 off 114 in South Africa.
Gill and Hardik were both certain to make the squad, but the biggest talking point was always going to be who would be Rohit’s deputy. Hardik, who captains Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has captained India on many occasions in the past but has now even lost the vice-captaincy in both T20Is and ODIs.
Gill was India’s vice-captain during the tour of Sri Lanka. The young batter has been criticised for not doing well in foreign conditions, especially in red-ball cricket, but his numbers in the 50-over format are as impressive as they come. The opener has 2328 runs in 47 ODIs at an average of 58.20 and a strike rate of more than 100.