Gambhir-Gill stubbornness could force Agarkar to take drastic measures: ‘People blame Ajit, but what will he do alone?’
Given the string of disappointing results in Indian Test cricket, Ajit Agarkar's committee could be eyeing some very interesting names to include in the team.
The daggers are out, and they are pointing towards Gautam Gambhir like never before, after India suffered an insulting 0-2 defeat against South Africa at home. Including this, India have been whitewashed only three times on their home soil since they started playing Test cricket, and incidentally, two of these have occurred with Gambhir in charge of the team as its head coach. What makes it worse is that the last two clean sweeps – 0-3 against New Zealand, being the previous one, came approximately a year ago. For a team that once took pride in becoming the No. 1 Test team in the world, to see it go from being fierce travellers to failing to defend its home crown is embarrassing, and Gambhir, for reasons only he knows, is the one to blame for it.
The former Indian opener has been shown no mercy by fans and former cricketers alike. His obsession with all-rounders and his stubbornness to not budge from this stance have hurt Indian cricket dearly. Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill's decisions to leave out the likes of Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran, who not too long ago had set the Indian domestic red-ball cricket on fire, have raised several eyebrows, and now that it’s all falling apart, Gambhir’s critics are not wasting a single opportunity to pounce on him
One common narrative among Indian cricket fans is that Ajit Agarkar, the BCCI chairman of selectors, supports Gambhir’s plan. However, the truth couldn’t be further from it. A former BCCI selector has, in fact, pointed out that Agarkar’s hands are tied too in this case, because the eventual call rests with the coach and captain.
“People might blame Ajit and his committee for not selecting Abhimanyu and Sarfaraz, but then do the head coach (Gautam Gambhir) and new captain (Shubman Gill) have faith in their abilities? If not, what will Ajit alone do?” PTI quoted a former BCCI selector as saying.
Test hope for Gaikwad, Rinku and Patidar
Why the likes of Sarfaraz, Easwaran, and even Mohammed Shami continue to be sidelined is something only Gambhir and Gill can answer. But the recent decline of the Indian Test team could open new opportunities for several domestic veterans. The PTI report adds that India’s win of just two Test series since Gambhir took over – against Bangladesh and the West Indies – could force the selection committee to look at the trio of Rajat Patidar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and even Rinku Singh. Gaikwad averages more than 45 across 43 First-Class matches, while Patidar is in the same range from 74 games. Rinku trumps them both, boasting an average of almost 60 from only 52 FC matches.
Then again, the former selector reminded that only Gambhir knows what Gambhir does or will do in future. “You will be a fool if you take every Gauti statement at face value. He can be ruthless if there’s non-performance. Before you know, you might see Sudharsan and Reddy fall by the wayside come 2026. He only backs performers,” the former selector said.
“Sitting in November, you want me to second-guess how Gauti’s mind will work in August next year? Only a soothsayer can do that.”
