(Source X)

Gautam Gambhir, in his first official address as the newly appointed head coach of the Indian national team, spoke at length alongside Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar in a pre-match press conference ahead of the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Set to compete in three T20Is and three ODIs from July 26 to August 7, the team will embark on their journey to Sri Lanka on Monday, July 22.

Reports suggest that Gambhir was actively involved in the selection process for both the T20I and ODI squads for this tour. Notably, he played a pivotal role in advocating for Suryakumar Yadav’s elevation to the T20I captaincy. Additionally, Gambhir’s influence was instrumental in securing the participation of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ODI series against Sri Lanka.

“Going forward these things happen. Can’t say right now that there are going to be 3 different teams. T20 will be in transition with world-class players retiring. The more players that can play both all formats the better,” says Gambhir.

“On the same page, if you have got players who can play all formats then great,” says Agarkar.