Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors for the Indian cricket team, has clarified the rationale behind appointing Shubman Gill as the vice-captain for Team India in white-ball cricket. Gill will serve as the deputy to Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma in the upcoming T20I series and one-day internationals in Sri Lanka. This decision comes after Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul were overlooked for the role.
Gill recently led India to a 4-1 series victory over Zimbabwe in the five-match T20I series. At 24, his cricketing journey has seen a steady rise, despite the setback of missing out on the T20 World Cup. In 2023, Gill had an outstanding year as an ODI batter and became the captain of the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Earlier this year, during a challenging Test series against England, he demonstrated his quality as a batter and his leadership skills, stepping up from a junior role to a senior position in a transitional team missing several experienced players.
Ajit Agarkar explained the selection process and the reasons behind Gill’s appointment in a recent media interaction. “Rishabh has been out for a long time. We need to get him back to playing. That’s the first thing. We don’t want to burden someone who is coming back after a year out of the game. KL Rahulâæ KL has not been part of T20Is now for a little while. Like I said, if you look at some of the feedback that we have got, we have got a chance to hit the reset button a little bit. We have a bit more time to plan, we want to see for the next two years,” Agarkar said.
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Agarkar also highlighted the challenges faced when Hardik Pandya was injured and Rohit Sharma was unavailable to lead. “This time, in T20Is, when Hardik Pandya did get injured, that was a bit of a challenge because Rohit was also not playing. Thankfully, Rohit was back and he could come in and lead. We don’t want that situation going forward again,” he added.
“Shubman is a guy we feel is a three-format player, firstly. And he seems to show a lot of good qualities over the last year or so. That’s why we wanted to have somebody who can also learn from a couple of senior guys who are there. Surya is there. Rohit is still around. We don’t face the same challenge again — suddenly try and look for a new captain in case there is an injury or loss of form. That’s the idea again. He has shown some decent leadership qualities. So we want him to get some experience and build going forward. There are no guarantees in life, but at this point, that’s how it looks,” Agarkar concluded.
Gill’s elevation to the vice-captaincy role is seen as a strategic move to groom him for future leadership responsibilities in the Indian cricket team. His performance and leadership skills will be closely monitored as India prepares for upcoming international assignments.