Gautam gambhir- ajit agarkar ‘heated’ selection meeting: Rohit & Company’s confidence will definitely increase after cleaning the guest team in the three ODI series against England before the ICC Champions Trophy. Captain Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli have also given signs of return to form. The Indian team management must have breathed a sigh of relief. But, there are some aspects of the team about which some experts are not confident. One of the greatest concerns for him is a lack of clarity about the middle order of India. In fact, a report claimed that the selection case of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant is not unanimous, head coach Gautam Gambhir and Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar, which has made a sharp debate in the team as well.
When India’s initial Champions Trophy team was elected, Agarkar had named Rishabh Pant as the team’s number-one wicketkeeper. But Pant did not play a single ODI against England. After the last match of the series in Ahmedabad, head coach Gambhir made it clear in the press conference that KL Rahul is India’s number one wicketkeeper. Two big people of Indian management are on different pages, this picture is not good. According to the Times of India, sources indicated that in the selection meeting, there was a fierce debate about the place of Shreyas Iyer in the team and the location of the second wicketkeeper.
Ravi Shastri first raised the question about sitting outside Rishabh Pant. Former India coach Ravi Shastri teased the debate when the camera went to Pant in the dugout in the second ODI. Shastri at that time raised on air loudly that he was shocked by the fact that a player like Pant is being excluded from the playing XI.
About Rishabh Pant, Gautam Gambhir said at the end of the ODI series, “After all, it is very difficult to talk about individuals, but I can just say that if Pant is part of the team, he will get a chance. But at this time Obviously, KL is our number one wicketkeeper and he has done well for us. Should live. “
Devang Gandhi, who was the national selector during Ravi Shastri’s tenure as a head coach, said, “Gambhir should be given proper credit for working with the team during the transition. He has dominated India in the ODI format, exactly the way Just like India was doing it by 2016-2019.
Talking about the 2017 Champions Trophy final and 2019 World Cup semi -finals, Dewang Gandhi said, “Batting was largely operated by the top three – Rohit, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli. The time was not found. The rest of the batsmen were not sure about their role. “
Devang Gandhi further said, “When the top order in those big matches collapsed, the rest of the batting looked unknown. Hopefully this time it will not happen. If he has identified the letter as a number-5 batsman, then They should think about the opportunity on that number. The letter has done well but whether it will be a long -term option that can rebuild an innings in South Africa up to 2027 World Cups . “
In the first two matches out of three ODIs against England, Akshar Patel was sent to bat on Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul. This was a step that surprised many people. Gandhi believes that the decision to keep Iyer out, which could not happen, had no meaning. Gandhi said, “The idea of ​​putting Iyer on the bench at the beginning of the series had no meaning, as Iyer has been extraordinary in the 2023 ODI World Cup and India has played very few ODIs after the World Cup.”
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