Agarkar opens up on appointing Suryakumar as T20I captain, dropping Jadeja

Fitness, feedback from the dressing room, and consistent availability swung the pendulum in Suryakumar Yadav's favour when it was decided to appoint him captain of the Indian T20 team ahead of Hardik Pandya, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said in Mumbai on Monday (July 22).

Agarkar was addressing a media conference along with newly-appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir ahead of India's tour of Sri Lanka where the team will play three T20 Internationals and as many ODIs against the hosts starting July 27.

Why Suryakumar Yadav was made captain

"Why Surya was made captain? Because he is one of the deserving candidates. The one we know has been around the dressing room over the last one year, you get feedback from the dressing room a lot. He has got a good cricketing brain and he is still one of the best T20 batters in the world," Agarkar said during the joint press conference.

"You (would) want a captain that's going to be more likely to play all the games. We think he's a deserving candidate and hopefully we'll see over time how he develops into the role."

The chairman of selectors said they wanted a captain with a proven fitness record and not someone who was prone to injuries as Pandya is believed to be.

Hardik Pandya – very important player

"But in regards to Hardik (Pandya), he's still a very important player for us. We want him to be the player that he can be, because the sort of skill sets he has are very difficult to find," Agarkar said.

"Fitness, obviously, has been a challenge for him over the last few years and then it becomes a little bit more difficult for him and even as selectors," he said.

"We've got a bit more time till the next T20 World Cup when we can look at a few things. It's not rushed at the moment. Hardik’s performances are more important - that was the thought behind it. The fitness is a clear challenge and we want someone who's likely to be available more often than not," Agarkar said.

As regards to former vice-captain KL Rahul being overlooked, he retorted, "I wasn't there when KL was superseded; I wasn't the selector firstly," said Agarkar.

"Since I've come, there's been a 50-overs World Cup, followed by the T20 World Cup. Fitness is a concern, but we also feel that Surya has the necessary qualities to be a good captain.”

"Two years is a long time, so at least it gives us a bit more of a chance to try and look at some things differently. The main thing is we want guys who are available all the time. In this way, we also feel we can manage Hardik a little bit better," he said.

Jadeja was not dropped

Agarkar admitted that the selection committee should have clarified that senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who also retired from T20Is after the World Cup, was not "dropped".

"It would have been really pointless to take both him and Axar for this short series. We know what Jaddu has done. He's had a terrific World Cup (T20). So, no, he has not been dropped," he said.

"All options are open. But there was (a chance that) either of them would have played all three games if we'd taken both. There's a big test season coming up where Jadeja’s likely to feature in a lot of the Tests. I don't think three games would have mattered. He's still within the scheme of things and very important as a player," said the former India pacer.

Leadership door open for Rahul, Rishabh, Pandya

Agarkar said the door is not shut for the former deputies like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and even Pandya as far as the leadership role is concerned.

"We need to get him (Pant) back playing, that's the first thing. He's going to be key to us as a player; he hasn't played a lot of cricket. We'll see what he can do," he said.

"We don't want to burden somebody again who's just coming back after over a year out of the game. KL has not been part of T20 now for a little while," he said.

"We've got a chance to reset the button a little bit. We've got a bit more time to plan. We want to try and see… I mean, this time (in) T20 (against Afghanistan), frankly, when Hardik did get injured, it was a little bit of a challenge. At that point, Rohit wasn't playing but was still around (and) made our life a lot easier that he could come and play. We don't want that situation going forward again," he continued.

Chance for Gill to learn from experience

Agarkar said the selectors wanted vice-captain Shubman Gill to learn from the experience as well as from the senior players.

"Shubman is a guy that we feel is a three-format player and seems to have shown a lot of quality over the last year. That’s what we hear from the dressing room," said Agarkar.

"You try and have somebody who can also learn from a couple of the senior guys that are there. Surya, in this instance, or Rohit who's still around, so we don't face the same challenges that suddenly you are trying to look for a captain in case there are injuries or loss of form somewhere," he explained.

"He's shown some decent leadership qualities. We want to try and get him the experience that he can put forward. There are no guarantees in life but at this point, that's the thought," he said.

Future pace bowling combination

Agarkar admitted that while playing Tests in India, the team may not need three seamers but going forward they will be discussing the fast-bowling lineup too.

"Some of the fast bowlers are at the NCAA. We hope that for the next month or so, they'll be back up playing," he said.

"I think Mohammed Shami has started to bowl, which is a good sign for us. 19th September is the first Test. That was always the goal. We don't quite know whether that's the timeline at the moment. For that I have to speak to the guys at the NCA, but that's the aim,” he said.

"There are so many Tests coming up in India; maybe you don't play three seamers in the eleven. But, going forward, there's a lot of cricket or Test cricket that's coming. We need some conversation around it," concluded Agarkar.

Gambhir’s relationship with Kohli

With regard to the speculation swirling around about his relationship with Virat Kohli, the head coach Gautam Gambhir said both of them would be fighting for the same team, and there was no question of their perspectives being divided.

“The rumours are good for the TRP, but my relationship with him has been good. What’s important is we are representing 140 crore Indians. We’ve shared messages. He is a world-class player, and I have huge respect for him,” said Gambhir.

(With agency inputs)