If you are following the recent news of Indian cricket then the choice could function as a bolt from your blue in which Shubman Gill has now been named vice-captain for India within ODIs and T20s. However, according to Ajit Agarkar, the chief of selectors, it was all a part of design. The board has identified Gill as a 3-format player who can bat up the order (and provide leadership, if needed) with Hardik Pandya’s fitness issues and what looks like middling captaincy potential from other young’s in contention for more long-term opportunities on account of his seemingly endless growing reserves at seam/pinching insistence arms forcing him into quick-fix remedies late spells contrasting against erratic fortunes either side heads to prevent tributaries started supplementing defeats. Here we take a close look at Agarkar’s reason regarding the promotion of Gill and what it holds for Indian cricket going ahead.
The Surprise Choice
Surprisingly, the move to make Shubman Gill vice-captain of an Indian ODI/T20I team has evoked considerably mixed reactions from many in cricket.
Shubman Gill’s Vice-Captaincy
The fact that he was preferred over other top contenders like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer remains a debatable choice in the eyes of fans as well as experts. You must be wondering what made the selectors choose him.
Reason for selecting it
Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar allayed concerns around his leadership skills when announcing the decision.
It makes sense as they would want someone who could take in a lot Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, both Gill can thrive on. With his strong performances in the last year and being versatile in all three formats of the game, Rahane was a key contender for rumored vice-captaincy position. Also, the selectors were wary of a late crisis that could have put Indian cricket back by several strides ahead of the looming T20 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya injured and its consequences
With a key player’s injury, it can hamper the overall performance of the team and Pandya was one such case. Given his fitness issues and the time he spent on the sidelines, fans began to wonder whether he was even fit for leading a team in an official match.
The Fitness Concerns
Health concerns surrounding Hardik Pandya have been an ongoing issue for the Indian cricket team and his latest injury raised doubts whether he could be groomed as a future captain of the side. His fitness problems made him unsure whether he could handle the pressures of leading like for example in match situations.
Gautam Gambhir was hesitant
Gautam Gambhir also revealed that one of the reasons which led to Shubman Gill being named VC was his response to a captain who had been injury prone. Understandably, when captaining a team as big and Important (features needed) as this one we were very cautious about this.
Gautam Gambhir reveals despite preferring MS Dhoni over Virat Kohli, his fitness concerns for Hardik Pandya Hope from New Power Hitter Does Not Work in India’s Favor Hardik was out of action from a long time due to an injury, and it remained unclear if he could make his comeback on field. Given the situation, a back-up is needed and Shubman Gill fills that vacuum as vice-captain.
Absence of Rishabh Pant/Manish Pandey having to feature even after giving chance but still KL Rahul missing out.
Many would ask that why not KL Rahul, or Rishabh Pant, irrespective of the fact they are very senior players. Ajit Agarkar blamed their recent cricketing history for that.
Long break from Cricket for Pant
Probably more factor from Pant’s long layoff in cricket. He needs to be playing – that is the most important thing for him now. He will be important as a player and the board would like him to concentrate on his own game before adding extra responsibilities.
Fewest T20 Matches By KL Rahul
KL Rahul: The only set-back with KL is that he has very little T20 cricket international experience. He has been out of the T20 side for a considerable time and selectors want Amir to recover vintage form in the shortest format before entrusting any kind of leadership role.
KL Rahul appears to be concentrating more on Test cricket from the past couple of years, hence his list a record is not as long as some of other players. The selectors are treading carefully insistent on rewarding him with more role but want to make sure that he has the requisite amount of playing time and exposure in this format before deciding what they can hand over.
Shubman Gill
Shubman Gill as India’s ODI and T20I vice-captain: Analyzing leadership qualities to use him in that role Even if he may have been unexpected, his standout performances in recent weeks coupled with the opinion inside the dressing room means that for now, he might be our best shot at captaining Arsenal.
Recent Form of the Player
Shubman Gill is in brilliant form these days and he has been playing with a lot of maturity too. This makes him such an enigma as his performances on a regular basis have seen him make the Indian team and he surprises one and all with how well he can transition from different formats.
The Dressing Room’s Verdict
Ahead of their departure for the series, Ajit Agarkar opened up on Gill’s appointment as vice-captain stating that ` dressing-room decision ‘ was considered before reaching the final verdict. This shows Gill has already the respect and trust of his team members in just a season which is one important trait leaders require.
The selectors wanted a young player who could be trained by the seniors to lead his team one day and that is what left them with limited choices. His strong leadership qualities, coupled with his excellent form of late make him a potential contender to the role. As Agarkar said, the selectors see that they want to give Gill an experience of growing into a leadership role and making him vice-captain is merely a part of it.
BCCI’s Road Ahead
A year of pushing aside has only deepened his talent, but in naming Shubman Gill as their new ODI and T20I vice-captain behind surprise leadership pick KL Rahul last week, the BCCI reminded everyone it had begun to look ahead at this World Cup too. The board’s vision is to have a reasonable competitive team, for that Gill becomes an interesting piece of the puzzle.
The Next T20 World Cup
With the next T20 World Cup now just around the corner in 2036, future success is clearly on the BCCI’s mind. The board said that it is looking to make sure India gets ready well for the tournament, which will be important in Gill’s leadership aspect.
The Need for a Reset
It was key to get the team dynamics right after Rohit Sharma retired from T20 internationals. Recognizing that and with an appetite for a fresh start, Gill’s appointment signals the beginning of a new chapter in Indian cricket by the BCCI.
BCCIs’ trust on Gill can be attributed to his wonderful outing over the last one year and also for being versatile in terms of formats. In fact, handing him the vice-captaincy should be seen as part of that path to develop his leadership skills further so he can take over with relative ease when Rohit calls time on ODI cricket too. That also sends a resounding signal that the BCCI has decided to plan for the long-term rather than falling back on immediate fixes.
Ajit Agarkar’s Explanation
There are few doubts about your confusion as to how Shubman Gill suddenly became the vice-captain in ODIs and T20s but let us tell you this was asked per international cricket media speculation. Ajit Agarkar, the chairman of selectors explains how they got there.
Gambhir Explains Reason For Picking Gill
Agarkar said Pant was a key player but needed more time to get back into groove after being out for year with injury, and that the reasons behind Gill’s selection were clear. In the same manner KL Rahul, who is out of T20I cricket for some time now meant that he was not quite in contention for vice-captaincy?
Why a player is termed triple format Player
Gill’s versatility was a big factor in Jaffer choosing him as Agarkar described his skill to perform across all formats. This predictability keeps the last-minute crises at bay, and as a result ensures India cannot go into an event without its limited-overs captain like it had to earlier this year because of Hardik Pandya’s injury.
Incidentally, Gil’s ability to bat in all three formats also turned out to be a key factor for the selectors. The BCCI wanted a player who can play across different formats and provide stability to the team since T20 World was upcoming. While Agarkar’s explanation further hints that Gill was perfectly suited to the vice-captaincy due to his immense talent and leadership quality.
Summing up
So, to sum it up Ajit Agarkar has explained the thought process going behind appointing Shubman Gill as India’s vice-captain in ODIs and T20Is. With this now out in the open, you have learned that (A) Pandya was rested due to fitness concerns; and (B) Gill has impressed someone on the selectors panel with not only his leadership qualities but also seen as a future three-format player who could benefit from being around senior cricketers like Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. A smooth transition is what the move going for and that was seen as a last-minute crisis would have been looming large over Indian cricket with T20 World Cup ahead.
