Gautam Gambhir Press Conference Highlights: 'There's Still A Lot Of Cricket Left In Virat And Rohit' - Gambhir

The much-awaited media interaction of Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar in Mumbai will be live streamed on the Jio Cinema app and website, as also on the Star Sports YouTube channel at 10am IST.

T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.

Despite missing the T20 World Cup squad, Shubman Gill has now been appointed as India's T20 vice-captain under Suryakumar Yadav. This decision comes even though Gill's recent T20 form and his captaincy stint at Gujarat Titans were unimpressive. It is likely that Gautam Gambhir will explain the roles assigned and the thought behind these decisions.

ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.

Hardik Pandya and captaincy are the biggest talk of the town this season. He faced a lot of criticism and hatred during his tenure as captain of the Mumbai Indians. However, after the T20I World Cup, the perception shifted, and it seemed like Pandya's good captaincy days were on the way. But as soon as Gautam Gambhir took the hot seat everything changed. During the pressie, the first question expected to fly towards him is about the decision to snub Hardik Pandya as the T20I captain. Despite Hardik being Team India’s designated vice-captain under Rohit Sharma’s leadership and the natural successor.

Gambhir and Agarkar are in then house. The two gentlemen have taken their seats at the table.

Ajit Agarkar explained the decision: "The choice was based on several factors, including information from the dressing room and current form. Surya is one of the best T20 players, and while Hardik is a crucial player for us, his fitness has been a challenge. We value Hardik's unique skillset, but we need someone who is likely to be available more often. Surya possesses all the necessary qualities to be the captain."

Gautam Gambhir - "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 have big shoes to fill. I have a good relationship with Jay Shah and I will keep it that way for betterment of the team."

"The most important thing is that the players will always have my support. My aim is to create a happy and secure dressing room. I am taking over a very successful team, having been runner-ups in both the WTC and the 50-over World Cup. These are big shoes to fill, and I am looking forward to the challenge," says Gambhir.

Discussing players who were not included in the team, Ajit Agarkar said, "Every player who is not part of the squad feels it is unfair. We can only select 15 players. For instance, despite Rinku Singh’s outstanding performance, he was left out of the T20 World Cup squad. That's why when you get a chance, you do everything to make an impact."

Ajit Agarkar stated, “Jadeja is still a very important player. For this short series, it would have been pointless to include both him and Axar Patel, as neither would have played all three games. With a big Test season ahead, Jadeja is set to feature in many matches. He hasn’t been dropped; he remains a crucial part of our plans.”

Gautam Gambhir said, “They have proven their ability on the big stage. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have plenty of cricket left in them. If they maintain their fitness, they could even be part of the 2027 World Cup. Given their current form, they remain world-class players, and any team would be eager to have both of them.”

Ajit Agarkar addressed the situation of Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul, saying, “Rishabh has been out for a long time, so we want to bring him back gradually without placing too much pressure on him. When someone returns after a long absence, it’s important to ease them back into the team."

Regarding KL Rahul, one piece of feedback he has received is that he needs to 'hit the reset button.' As for Shubman Gill, we view him as an all-format player, which reflects our confidence in his versatility.”

“This will be the core of my coaching staff. I have previously worked with Abhishek and Ryan, and I hope we can achieve a successful tenure here. I’m excited to work with the rest of the team and have received positive feedback from players about them.”

“My focus is always on winning; I don’t deviate from that principle. A happy dressing room is a winning dressing room. I prefer to keep things straightforward. Ultimately, it’s the players' team, and we need to ensure they are content. That’s something we will definitely work towards.”

Gambhir Said, "Very good for the TRPs, but my relationship with him is not public. It's a relationship between two mature individuals. On the field, everyone will fight for their own team. At the moment, we are representing India. I share a very good relationship. I have had lots of chances to talk to him. It is not important what we discuss. The most important thing is we both have to work hard to make India proud. He is a thorough professional, a world-class player, and that is going to continue."

"He has started to bowl. The first Test is 19th September. That was always the goal (him making a comeback by that time). Whether he can make it back to the squad by that time, I'll have to speak with the guys at the NCA."

Gautam Gambhir: "Really happy with BCCI. They've agreed with most things I've asked for. The crux of the support staff will remain as they are. The rest of the staff will be finalized after the Sri Lanka tour. Abhishek and Ryan as assistant coach. T Dilip will continue as fielding coach. Sairaj Bahutule as interim bowling coach for the Sri Lanka tour."

Gautam Gambhir appeared confident and stayed true to his persona, aiming to lead a successful Indian team to new victories. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a happy and winning dressing room. We will be back with more updates on his tenure, the Sri Lanka tour, and the men in blue.

Until then, goodbye.