Shubman Gill Was Not BCCI's First Choice For Asia Cup Vice-Captaincy, Report Says It Was...
Earlier, Axar Patel was India's vice-captain for the T20I series against England. According to a report in The Indian Express, some in the selection panel felt that he should continue in the position for the Asia Cup as well. "Gill wasn't the first choice initially, but the overall mood at the selection meeting was that it's better to invest in a player who is likely to serve Indian cricket for long," said the report.
The panel also couldn't find any other candidate they could bank on for the future. That's why Yashasvi Jaiswal also had to miss out to make space for Gill.
Gill replaced Axar Patel as vice-captain despite missing many T20 matches because of his commitments with the Test and ODI teams.
Asked whether Gill walks straight back into the playing XI as vice-captain, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar left it open: 'The captain and coach will take the call on the best balance for the team. Once we get to Dubai, we will have a bit more clarity. More options are available now. Shubman has been in great form anyway for the last few months. So has Sanju. So two good options, along with Abhishek,' he said.
Regarding Yashasvi Jaiswal failing to find a place in the main squad, the chief selector said it was unfortunate they had to leave him out.
"With regards to Yashasvi Jaiswal, I mean, it's just unfortunate again. Abhishek Sharma — what he's done over the last few months, or a year or so that he's been with the team, plus the fact that he can bowl a little bit — gives us an option, if required, by the captain.
"One of these guys was always going to miss out. It's just unfortunate that Yashasvi might have to wait for his chance. With regards to Shreyas, I mean, we can replace that. Again, no fault of his, nor is it ours. It's just that we can only pick 15 and, at the moment, he might have to wait for his chance," said Agarkar.
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