Image Credit- AP
It is now clear that the selected Twenty20 captaincy
contenders, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, will not be eligible for the
forthcoming Twenty20 International series against Afghanistan, which begins
next week. Ajit Agarkar and his selection committee are facing a dilemma as a
result of their absence.
Their problem is that they have to decide between
taking a chance on someone like Shubman Gill or going with the tried and tested
Rohit Sharma. Ravindra Jadeja and Shreyas Iyer are two more strong candidates
in front of the selectors, but that isn’t the main problem at hand.
The problem lies in the selectors’ inability to decide
whether to concentrate on developing a younger player for the future or the
five months going up to the Twenty20 World Cup. The selecting committee meeting
slated for later today will make the decision within the following several
hours.
Insiders say that the decision won’t be simple. After
more than a year away, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have reportedly declared
themselves available for the Twenty20 format. On November 10, 2022, they played
their final Twenty20 International match against England in Australia’s T20
World Cup semifinals.
Even while the selection committee is more focused on
developing young talent and making plans for the future, they are still
cognizant of Rohit’s outstanding leadership and batting ability in the recent
past. Rohit makes an assertion that is difficult to ignore.
Agarkar is now in Cape Town with colleagues Salil
Ankola and Shiv Sundar Das. When the call is received, they will establish a
connection with S Sharath and Subrata Banerjee in India. At this moment, it is
impossible to overestimate Rahul Dravid’s contribution. A significant portion
of the decision-making process will go to the head coach.
Pandya, who hasn’t entirely recovered from the injury
that prevented him from playing in most of the World Cup last year, shared a
video of his training routine. He is anticipated to be well enough to play in
the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he will captain the Mumbai Indians. Due
to an ankle injury, Surya will be sidelined for a minimum of one month.