There’s a theory that has entered the mainstream. It goes this way: Gautam Gambhir was behind Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket. And that, he was the one who removed Rohit as India’s ODI captain. Gambhir, who took over as India’s head coach in July last year, wanted to be the man in charge.
Gambhir, the real captain?
The team selections, bringing all-rounders, and using right-left combinations. All of this has Gambhir written all over it. But that isn’t all. Suryakumar Yadav recently shared how, whatever the India head coach tells him to do when he’s on the field, he does it without thinking.
One can’t forget that Gambhir made Suryakumar vice-captain at the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He places him in high regard. The theory suggests that Gambhir recommended Surya for the job, thinking it’ll be easier to manage him than someone else like Hardik Pandya.
The same goes for Shubman Gill’s appointment as India’s ODI and Test captain. It’s easier to put your impression on a 26-year-old like Gill rather than Rohit in ODIs or Jasprit Bumrah in Tests. But again, all of these are theories that can’t be backed up.
Rumours addressed
Gambhir realises such things are being levied against him. The Indian head coach has come out and stated that it’s not him who’s in charge. Suryakumar is the leader of the T20I, while Gill has complete control as ODI and Test captain. Of course, he’s got significant say in the matter, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’ll be the ones who’ll continue, while Gambhir may not.
“Ultimately, Suryakumar Yadav is still the leader of the T20I team. It’s his T20 team, not mine. It’s Shubman’s Test and ODI team, not mine,” Gambhir told Aakash Chopra in an interview.
