When is Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar's first joint press conference?
India’s new head coach Gautam Gambhir and BCCI’s selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar will hold a joint press conference in Mumbai on Monday, July 22. This comes days after India’s squad announcement for the Sri Lanka tour, which comprises three T20Is and as many ODIs. The white-ball series will begin in Pallekele on July 27.
According to News18, the press conference will start at 10 am IST on Monday. The players and support staff will then fly to the island country.
A BCCI official told the website:
“A pre-departure press conference has been organized ahead of the team’s departure to Sri Lanka for the bilateral series.”
For the unversed, Suryakumar Yadav has been appointed as the new T20I captain while Shubman Gill has been appointed as his deputy. This comes after India skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja announced their respective retirements from T20Is following the 2024 T20 World Cup victory.
Hardik Pandya was not considered for the leadership role despite being India’s vice-captain at the recently concluded ICC tournament. As per reports, fitness and workload management were the primary reasons behind the call.
Meanwhile, Rohit and Kohli will play in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Gill has been appointed as Rohit’s deputy in the 50-over format as well.
Interestingly, Yuzvendra Chahal and Abhishek Sharma were ignored for the T20I series, while Sanju Samson failed to find a place in ODIs. Ruturaj Gaikwad was axed from both T20I and ODI squads while Riyan Parag was included for both formats as a surprise selection.
India’s schedule and squads for Sri Lanka tour - Gautam Gambhir's first assignment as head coach
The upcoming India tour of Sri Lanka will mark Gautam Gambhir's first assignment as head coach. The 42-year-old signed a 3.5-year deal with BCCI after Rahul Dravid's contract ended after the T20 World Cup final. Dravid chose not to re-apply for the role.
Gambhir has huge shoes to fill since Dravid led India to three ICC finals in the last 12 months. The two-time World Cup winner recently mentored reigning Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
July 27: 1st T20I
July 28: 2nd T20I
July 30: 3rd T20I
All the three T20Is will be played in Pallekele, beginning 7 pm IST.
Aug 2: 1st ODI
Aug 4: 2nd ODI
Aug 7: 3rd ODI
All three ODIs will be held at R Premadasa Stadium Stadium in Colombo, starting 2.30 PM IST.
T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.
ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.