India's national cricket team has been unveiled for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma made the announcement on Saturday (January 18) through the press conference in Mumbai.
The press conference was scheduled to take place at 12:30 PM IST, but was postponed by about 2.5 hours. That's because Rohit Sharma, Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir were involved in an encounter that was very long and made many wait for a long time.
However, the reason behind the delay has been revealed. According to reports in Dainik Jagran, it is learned that the discussion about the team's vice-captain for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was the main reason. Talks have been about who should be Rohit Sharma's deputy, Shubman Gill or Hardik Pandya.
Reports claim that there was a pick conflict between Rohit, Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir. The captain and selector of the Indian national cricket team wanted Shubman Gill to be the vice-captain while the head coach backed all-rounder Hardik Pandya to take up the role.
Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma set to make Shubman Gill vice-captain for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Ajit Agarkar and Rohit were adamant about Shubman Gill and hence Gautam Gambhir's appeal was not considered. This was confirmed to Dainik Jagran by a source close to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The appointment of Shubman Gill as vice-captain was not a surprise as the youngster was named vice-captain during the Sri Lanka tour. After captaining the team in the T20I series against the Zimbabwe national cricket team, he was made part of the management group.
Ajit Agarkar, while talking about the decision to make Shubman Gill the vice-captain, said that they always keep an eye on the future. He also said that feedback from the dressing room was taken into account before making the call to appoint the young vice-captain.
Shubman Gill has probably developed as one of the best openers for the team, working under Rohit Sharma will come in handy for the youngster
Shubman Gill has probably developed as one of the best openers for the team. He scored 2328 One Day International (ODI) runs in 47 innings at an average of 58.20. He will be extremely important for his team in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as he bats at the top.
With him becoming the vice-captain, it is fair to say that the BCCI is looking to the future. The young batsman also captains Gujarat Titans in the league and working under Rohit Sharma will be extremely helpful for him to further his career.
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