The BCCI’s selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, convened on Saturday at a Mumbai hotel to select the T20I squad for the upcoming five-match home series against England. Additionally, the committee discussed the futures of senior batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma following India’s disappointing whitewash by New Zealand and their 1-3 loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
As reported by Hindustan Times, the meeting included head coach Gautam Gambhir, Indian captain Rohit Sharma, Agarkar, BCCI secretary-elect Devajit Saikia, and newly-elected ICC Chairman Jay Shah, who had conducted a review after India’s loss to New Zealand.
The report highlighted that while BCCI officials left the decision regarding Rohit and Kohli’s futures up to the selectors, there were concerns about Rohit’s declining performance in Test cricket. Rohit, 37, has managed just 164 runs in the last eight Test matches, with a single half-century. In Australia, he scored only 31 runs in five innings, averaging just 6.2.
The report noted, “That is not to say that Rohit’s ‘I am not going anywhere’ statement is how things will ultimately transpire. The selectors are known to be worried about Rohit’s falling graph in Test cricket, but the understanding is that the captain will take a considered decision at the appropriate time.”
Regarding Kohli, the selectors are also concerned about his form following a lackluster performance against Australia and New Zealand. While Kohli’s century in Perth was a bright spot, he accumulated only 90 more runs during the rest of the series. However, Kohli’s fate largely depends on how Shubman Gill performs leading up to India’s next Test tour to England in late June.
“With the five-Test series against England still five months away, the selectors are likely to sit over the matter before forming an opinion. Shubman Gill hasn’t settled into the Kohli role as he was expected to; nowhere close to how ready Kohli was when Sachin Tendulkar hung up his boots. This is something that will be factored in by Agarkar’s selection committee,” the report mentioned.
Gill’s recent performance has also raised concerns. In the series against Australia, he scored only 93 runs in five innings at an average of 18.60, failing to score a half-century. Since his breakout performance at the Gabba in the 2020/21 tour to Australia, Gill has struggled in overseas conditions, managing just 233 runs in 14 innings at an average of 17.92, without scoring a half-century.
