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Former India wicketkeeper-batter and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor Dinesh Karthik has alleged that the India head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar are not on the same page. Karthik believes that Gambhir wants to win every match whereas the chief selector is focused on the big picture. He feels that the kind of bench strength India have, it may lead to insecurity among players about their place in the side.
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"A bit of friction between the chief selector, I feel, who has long-term plans, and a current coach who is saying, you know, I want to win every game that I play, and hence the confusion that we can see unfold in front of us," Karthik said while speaking to Sky Sports.
"Is it ideal for the players? Definitely not. I mean, if you're from India, imagine the kind of bench strength India has. Everybody's thinking, 'Oh my God, if I have a couple of bad games, anybody could replace me.' It's definitely a situation that India needs to be aware of and try to rectify as soon as possible."
The Samson-Sooryavanshi fiasco
In the recently-concluded T20I series against England, Sanju Samson did not get the long rope. After three unimpressive outings, Samson was benched and 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his much-awaited T20I debut. There were a few other position changes as well that have come under the scanner. Earlier, Karthik had also expressed his thoughts on Harshit Rana being sent ahead of Shivam Dube in the powerplay overs amid a batting collapse where India were bowled out for a paltry 76. For the fifth T20I, Sooryavanshi was benched as well after three chances. Samson made his comeback but it did not change India’s fate as the visitors were beaten 4-0 in the series.
The T20I squad selection issues
Meanwhile, Harsh Dubey, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh have been picked for the three-T20I series against Zimbabwe later this month. Earlier, a second-string squad is often been sent to Zimbabwe but the selection committee has been accused of creating more confusion with the addition of Prabhsimran, another wicketkeeper-batter. While the official comment is yet to be made, reports claim that Samson has been rested for the Zimbabwe tour despite him not playing in any other format.
Ro-Ko’s place uncertain
Ahead of the ODI series, there have been reports around uncertainty over senior duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s future. Even after Samson’s snub from the T20I side, head coach Gambhir had said that every player in the team needs to earn their place through performances. On the eve of the first ODI at Edgbaston, Birmingham, skipper Shubman Gill had said that they will look to try new combination, keeping ODI World Cup 2027 on South Africa soil.
Kohli is returning after recovering from a hamstring injury. Rohit scored a half-century in the third ODI against Afghanistan after not converting starts into big scores in first two ODIs.
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