ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma fought Gautam Gambhir in heated meeting to deny Hardik Pandya leadership

Indian National Cricket Team squad has been unveiled for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma made the announcement on Saturday (18th January) through the press conference in Mumbai.

The press conference was scheduled to take place at 12:30 PM IST, but it was delayed for around 2.5 hours. This was because Rohit Sharma, Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir were involved in a meeting that was very lengthy and made many wait for long.

Talks were related to who should be the deputy of Rohit Sharma, captain and selector Ajit Agarkar wanted Shubman Gill, Gautam Gambhir backed Hardik Pandya

However, the reason behind the delay has been revealed. As per the reports in Dainik Jagran, it is learned the discussion on the vice-captain of the team for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was the main reason. Talks were related to who should be the deputy of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, or Hardik Pandya.

The reports claimed that there was a conflict of choice between Rohit, Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir. The India National Cricket Team skipper and selector wanted Shubman Gill to be the vice-captain, while the head coach backed all-rounder Hardik Pandya to take over the role.

Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma were adamant about making Shubman Gill vice-captain for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Ajit Agarkar and Rohit were adamant about Shubman Gill, and hence, Gautam Gambhir's call wasn't considered. This was confirmed to Dainik Jagran by a source close to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Shubman Gill being named as the vice-captain didn't come as a surprise because the youngster was appointed as the vice-captain during the Sri Lanka tour. After he captained the team in the T20I series against the Zimbabwe National Cricket Team, he was made part of the leadership group.

Ajit Agarkar, while talking about the decision to make Shubman Gill vice-captain, said that they always keep an eye on the future. He also said that dressing room feedback was taken into consideration before making the call to make youngster vice-captain.

Shubman Gill arguably has developed himself as one of the best openers for the team, working under Rohit Sharma will be handy for youngster

Shubman Gill arguably has developed himself as one of the best openers for the team. He has scored 2328 one-day international (ODI) runs in 47 innings with an average of 58.20. He will be extremely important for his team in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 while batting at the top.

With him becoming the vice-captain, it's fair to say that BCCI is looking at the future. The young batter also captains Gujarat Titans in the league and to work under Rohit Sharma will be extremely handy for him going ahead in his career.

Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Ajit Agarkar delivers ultimate update on Jasprit Bumrah's fitness