Gautam Gambhir Press Conference Highlights: New Indian coach speaks on Surya’s appointment as captain, Hardik snub and more

Ajit Agarkar revealed that fitness was one of the reason why Hardik Pandya was not considered for India’s T20I captain and this is why Suryakumar Yadav pipped him for the role of India’s T20I captain.

“Surya has the necessary ability to lead the team. We wanted a captain who is around. We will see how he will do in two years time.” (READ MORE)

Ajit Agarkar: 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: It (rumours of a tiff) is good for the TRP but my relationship with him has been good. What's important is we are representing 140 crore Indians.

We've shared messages. It's not important if we have chatted before my announcement or after. He is a world class player, I have huge respect for him. 

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: See eventually these things happen. Transitions happen. We don't have Rohit and Virat in T20Is now. But it won't be like we have three different teams. 

Ajit Agarkar: Yeah, we don't plan on that. We just need to find the right combination of players, who can suit across different formats.

Gautam Gambhir: We can't finalize yet. But people like Ryan (Ten Doeschate) and Abhishek (Nayar) are someone I've worked with. I've got some really good feedback from the players as well about the other guys as well.

Gautam Gambhir: I've said it before, workload management for someone like Jasprit (Bumrah) is important. He is one rare bowler, which anyone would want. You want him to play important games. That's why the workload management for not just him but fast bowlers is important. 

If you are a batter, who's batting well, you might as well just play all formats. Rohit and Virat have retired from T20Is now, so they will play two formats from now. Hopefully they are available for most of the games.

Ajit Agarkar: Rishabh has been out for a long time. So we want to bring him back without burdening him. Someone who has come back after a long time, you need to bring them back in the scheme of things gradually. 

KL, one of the feedbacks he has got is 'you've got to hit the reset button'. Shubman is an all-format player, that's how we see him.

Gautam Gambhir: I think they've shown what they can deliver at the big stage. Whether it is the T20 World Cup or the ODI World Cup. I think both those guys have a lot more to offer. We've got the Champions Trophy, a tour of Australia, so they will be motivated. Hopefully they can keep their fitness till 2027 ODI World Cup. To say how much cricket is left in them is difficult. Any team that has players of their class would love to have them for as long as possible.

Ajit Agarkar: I think we should have clarified this when we announced the squad. He hasn't been dropped (but rested). There are a lot of Test series coming up, and he will be playing a lot of those.

Ajit Agarkar: I mean, any player who is dropped will feel hard done by. But our job is to only pick 15. Look at Rinku, he performed really well ahead of the T20 World Cup, but couldn't make the cut. We can only pick 15.

Gautam Gambhir: The most important thing for me is they will always have my back. A happy dressing room is important. I don't want to complicate things. I'm taking over a very successful team - the T20 world champions, the WTC runner-ups, and the ODI World Cup runner-ups. The idea is to go forward from there.

Ajit Agarkar: Because he is a deserving candidate. He has been a great batter for us. We feel that Surya has all the necessary qualities to be a good captain. 

As far as Hardik is concerned, he is still a very important player. And that's what we want him to be, those skillsets are hard to find. Fitness has been something that he's struggled with. As selectors, it becomes difficult then. The thought behind it was that we want someone (as captain) who is likely to be available more.

The Indian head coach arrives and the press conference will begin shortly. 

Photo: Devendra Pandey

Chairman of senior selection committee Ajit Agarkar has arrived for the press conference.

Gautam Gambhir’s stint as the head coach of the Indian men’s team can take cricket away from the celebrity culture that has come to define it, and towards an acknowledgement of the collective effort that results in victories or defeats. Never the flashiest or most-talented player in the team during his playing days, Gambhir reached the top of the game using the unglamorous attributes of hard work, grit, a strong mind and a solid work ethic. (READ MORE)

What was expected for more than a month was finally confirmed on Tuesday when Gautam Gambhir was announced as the head coach of Team India. A gritty left-handed opener, who was once ranked the best Test batsman, Gambhir has tasted success both as a captain and mentor in IPL. (READ MORE)

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Team India's new head coach Gautam Gambhir. He will address a press conference in Mumbai for the first time since taking over the role earlier this month. This, ahead of his first assignment with the national team – the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka that will see India play three T20Is and as many ODIs.