Chief selector of the Indian Men’s Cricket Team, Ajit Agarkar, responded to criticism regarding the decision to not name Hardik Pandya captain of the team by saying that Surya Kumar Yadav possesses all the qualities required for the role.
“Hardik Pandya is a very important player, we have seen it in the World Cup and we need him, but his fitness is a big challenge now,” Ajit Agarkar stated at a recent press conference. We can handle him better, in my opinion. He remains a member of our staff. Surya Kumar Yadav possesses all the skills required to lead.
During the press meet, Team India’s Head Coach Gautam Gambhir said, “I’m taking over a very, very successful team. A T20 world champion. Runner-up in the World Test Championship and runner-up in the ODI World Cup. It’s not that it’s not a successful team.”
“I think important is to give players the freedom, that’s what I absolutely believe in and not having a relationship which is of a head coach and a player. I think for me, the best relationship is a relationship which is built on trust and that is going to be very important. We can promise guys that they will always have my back. I’ve always said that a happy dressing room is a winning dressing. That’s my responsibility alongside the entire support staff to make it a happy and secure dressing room. I don’t complicate too many things and neither do I want to complicate,” he further mentioned.
Meanwhile, Indian Men’s Cricket Team has left for Airport, and will leave for Sri Lanka soon. The team is set to play ODI and T20I series, 3 matches each, against Sri Lanka, starting on July 27 and ending on August 7.