India head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar reportedly exchanged heated words during the team selection for the Champions Trophy 2025.
According to Indian media outlets, the issue stemmed from the selection of the primary wicketkeeper and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer.
At the time of the Champions Trophy 2025 squad announcement, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that Rishabh Pant would be the primary choice as wicketkeeping batter.
However, Gautam Gambhir and India team management went against the former pacer and named KL Rahul as the primary choice for the slot.
Additionally, middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer’s selection in the side for the England series and Champions Trophy 2025 also resulted in a disagreement between the India coach and the chief selector.
Read more: Gambhir behind India’s Champions Trophy Squad ‘changes’
According to the report, Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar were involved in a ‘heated’ debate over Iyer’s retention as the former wanted a left-right combination in the batting order.
“Ajit Agarkar, the head of the selection committee, had previously stated that Rishabh Pant was the primary choice for wicketkeeper when the Champions Trophy 2025 squad was announced. However, Pant ended up being the only player in the squad not to feature in any of the three ODIs during the England series,” the report quoted a source as saying.
“Sources mentioned that there was significant discussion within the selection panel regarding Shreyas Iyer’s inclusion and the second wicketkeeper spot,” it added.
India squad for Champions Trophy 2025:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy.
