All is not well? Rohit Sharma may have dispelled alleged rumours of a rift between him and India cricket team head Gautam Gambhir, but the reports say otherwise. We’d heard that Gambhir had communication issues with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about squad selection for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Disagreement over India’s vice-captain for Champions Trophy
The BCCI wasn’t on board with the selection of certain players, but Gambhir was adamant about having them. This time, the tables have turned. According to the Dainik Jagran, the Indian head coach wanted Hardik Pandya to be Rohit Sharma’s deputy for the ICC Champions Trophy.
However, BCCI Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma were adamant about choosing Shubman Gill as the vice-captain. This is the reason why, despite reaching the Wankhede Stadium at around noon, the squad wasn’t announced until 3 PM. The nearly two-and-a-half-hour delay came about as deliberation over picking either Pandya or Gill continued.
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Rohit Sharma and Agarkar (Gill) win over Gambhir (Hardik Pandya)
The result is for everyone to see. In the end, Agarkar and Rohit Sharma won the leadership battle over Gambhir, it seems. When announcing the squad, Gill, who was the vice-captain in Sri Lanka in Pandya’s absence, was named as deputy to the Indian skipper.
Asked about the reasoning behind the decision, Agarkar said, “A lot of feedback comes from the dressing room. You want to keep your options open. Not a lot of people lead teams. We always keep a lookout for someone who has got leadership qualities.“
We aren’t sure whether, despite the disagreement, all three parties remain on the same page or not. This isn’t the first time Gambhir hasn’t seen eye-to-eye with the BCCI. And, given the way the Indian head coach is, it might not be the last either. However, one has to ponder if the results don’t come (ICC Champions Trophy), will the board persist with someone who challenges them like Gambhir?
