Ahead of Team India’s departure for the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed a press conference.
During the media conference, Agarkar shed light on a couple of important decisions taken by his selection committee for the Sri Lanka tour.
Suryakumar Yadav has been handed the T20I captaincy. The middle-order star will succeed the legendary Rohit Sharma, who retired from T20Is last month.
This move surprised many since all-rounder Hardik Pandya was the designated deputy of Rohit at the T20 World Cup 2024 last month.
Explaining the thought process behind this call, Agarkar said: "Regarding Hardik, he's still a very important player for us. Fitness has obviously been a challenge for him... Then it becomes difficult for the coach or selectors... Fitness is a clear challenge and we want someone who is available more often than not....Having said that, we believe Surya has the qualities necessary to be a captain....”
He added: “We also feel we can manage Hardik better, we've seen what he can do with the bat and ball in the World Cup... We speak to every player, whether their role has changed. And yeah we've spoken to him...”
Commenting on Surya’s appointment as T20I skipper, Agarkar told reporters, “Suryakumar Yadav was made the captain, because he is one of the most deserving candidates. We have been getting the feedbacks from the dressing room. He has got great cricket brain, he is one of the best T20 batters in the world, and the one who is likely to play all the games. Surya has got the necessary quality that you need to succeed as a captain.”
Agarkar also addressed queries on Ravindra Jadeja’s absence from the ODI squad, clarifying that the spin all-rounder hasn’t been dropped from the side. Instead, Jadeja has been rested considering the important Test assignments in the near future.
"It would have been really pointless to take both Akshar and Jaddu for a three-match series. He has had a terrific World Cup. Not at all dropped. Either of them wouldn't have featured in games had we taken him. There's a big test season coming up. I think probably we should have clarified it when the squad was announced. He is still part of the format. He is a very important player for us," the chief selector stated.
India will play three T20Is and as many ODIs on the tour of Sri Lanka, starting on July 27. While all the T20Is will take place in Pallekele, the 50-over series will be held in Colombo.
India’s T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj
India’s ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Akshar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.
