Former India cricketer and batting coach Sanjay Bangar believes head coach Gautam Gambhir had a limited role in the appointment of Shubman Gill as India’s new ODI captain. According to Bangar, the final decision rested with the BCCI’s selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar.
Gill, who recently became India’s Test captain, was also named the full-time ODI skipper ahead of the ongoing series against Australia. The move came as a surprise to many, as senior batter Rohit Sharma was expected to continue leading the side in the 50-over format.
Sanjay Bangar Credits Selectors for the Decision on Shubman Gill
Bangar stated that a coach should work with the players selected for him rather than influence leadership decisions. He stressed that team composition and captaincy choices are always decided by selectors.
“As far as I know, it cannot be the coach’s call. The coach has to work with the team he has got. It’s not about the coach’s comfort. The coach has to adjust to the team. It’s not the other way round. That’s how it happens in cricket. You have a highly capable batter in Shubman Gill. He has age on his side and has an experience of 5-6 years in international cricket. I think it is the selectors who have taken the call,” stated Bangar during an interaction with JioStar.
Parthiv Patel, who was part of the same conversation, offered a different point of view. He backed Gambhir’s preference for having a maximum of two captains instead of separate leaders for each format.
“It’s an absolutely fair call. Coach Gautam Gambhir also mentioned in his interview that people need to think about me also. We have been thinking that the team is of the captain but the way coaches work these days, the effort that goes behind the scenes,” the former wicketkeeper-batter said.
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“It’s not easy for them to work with captains, who may have different philosophies, especially if they are not even travelling together. Shubman Gill is one player who travels with the team in all formats. It is not easy to plan and keep communicating. I’m with Gautam Gambhir at this time when he said he needed only two captains and not three,” Parthiv added.
India are currently trailing 0-1 in the ODI series against Australia after losing the first match in Perth on October 19 by seven wickets.
