Gautam Gambhir Vouched For Hardik Pandya
Gautam Gambhir wanted Hardik Pandya to become the vice-captain of team India for Champions Trophy 2025, instead of Shubman Gill.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday (January 18) announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 during a press briefing at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team in the prestigious tournament scheduled to be played from February 19 to March 9. Shubman Gill has been named the vice-captain, marking his rise in leadership roles.
According to a report by Dainik Jagran, head coach Gautam Gambhir advocated for Hardik Pandya to retain the vice-captaincy. However, captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar preferred Gill for the role. Hardik, who previously served as vice-captain during the ODI World Cup 2023 and T20 World Cup 2024, was also expected to lead India’s T20I team post-Rohit’s retirement in June 2024. Surprisingly, Suryakumar Yadav was instead named the T20I captain.
Shubman Gill served as vice-captain during India’s ODI series against Sri Lanka in August 2024 and retained the position for the Champions Trophy. Reports suggest that Gambhir also proposed including Sanju Samson as the team’s wicketkeeper-batter. However, Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar opted for Rishabh Pant.
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Samson, who achieved the distinction of being the first batter to score three T20I centuries in a single calendar year (2024), has not played an ODI since his century as a No. 3 batter against South Africa in Paarl on December 21, 2023.
In a notable change, former world No. 1 ODI bowler Mohammed Siraj was excluded from both the Champions Trophy squad and the preceding ODI series against England. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, was chosen to bolster India’s pace attack.
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Last Updated on January 19, 2025
