A huge revelation regarding Gautam Gambhir has come to light amidst the speculation on who will be the next India T20I captain between Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. Gambhir took over from Rahul Dravid as the next India head coach.
His first assignment will be India’s tour of Sri Lanka where they will play 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is in July-August. Before that, India needed to find a new T20I captain after Rohit Sharma retired from the format post winning the T20 World Cup 2024. Amongst the contenders are Suryakumar Yadav and vice-captain Hardik Pandya.
There are rumors that the selection committee chaired by Ajit Agarkar, new head coach Gautam Gambhir, and board officials disagreed on a choice.
Although Gautam Gambhir did not specifically suggest Suryakumar Yadav for the role of India’s T20I captain, he made it apparent that he would not be comfortable leading a team that had fitness concerns.
Although Gautam Gambhir did not specifically suggest Suryakumar Yadav for the role of India’s T20I captain, he made it apparent that he would not be comfortable leading a team that had fitness concerns.
Things did not go as planned for India’s vice-captain in the T20 World Cup, Hardik Pandya, to succeed Rohit. Suryakumar Yadav, the top-ranked batter in India, has now overtaken Hardik Pandya as the favorite to become India T20I captain.
Gautam Gambhir made it clear he won’t work with someone whose workload is an issue
On Tuesday night, however, Gambhir participated in an unofficial conference call on the future roadmap with the BCCI executives and the selection committee. It has been discovered that Surya’s name was suggested by Agarkar and Gambhir as a likely successor to Rohit as the T20I captain during that conversation.
However, the new head coach of India stated unequivocally that he would rather have a captain who does not worry about managing their workload. It was obvious because Surya is the best batter in the format and a white-ball specialist following the retirements of Rohit and Kohli.
“Although Gambhir did not directly pitch for Surya in the call, he made it amply clear that he would want to work with a captain whose workload does not become a stumbling block. Agarkar was clear with his views,” a BCCI official told Hindustan Times.
There is a rumor that the selection committee is divided, with some believing that Hardik should be named captain because he was the deputy captain during the World Cup.
The primary issue with 30-year-old Hardik is still his history of injuries. After sustaining an ankle injury early in the ODI World Cup last year, he was out for almost half a year.
Gambir and Surya have a long history together. At KKR, Gambhir was the one who discovered Surya, assigning him the role of finisher in a lineup replete with luminaries.
Also Read: Former India Player Backs KL Rahul To Lead India In ODI Leg Of Sri Lanka Trip