Gautam Gambhir, the newly appointed head coach, officially took charge of the Indian cricket team as they gathered in Pallekele on Tuesday for their first training session in Sri Lanka ahead of the limited-overs series. The Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, arrived in Pallekele on Monday in preparation for the upcoming three-match T20I series, followed by three ODIs. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video of India's initial practice session in Pallekele on their official X account.
"Head Coach Gautam Gambhir Takes Charge!" read the caption from the BCCI.
In the footage, Gambhir was observed closely monitoring the players and offering crucial batting advice to wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson.
Prior to departing for Sri Lanka, Gambhir held his inaugural press conference alongside chief selector Ajit Agarkar, who explained the rationale behind appointing Suryakumar as the T20I captain over all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
"He is one of the deserving candidates. He is one of the best T20 batters in the world. We wanted a captain who was likely to play all the games. We will see how he will do," Agarkar told the media.
"As far as Hardik is concerned, he is still a very important player. And that's what we want him to be. Fitness has been a challenge for him over the last few years...Then it becomes difficult for the coach or selectors. I think Surya has the necessary qualities to succeed as a captain," he added.
The first T20I between India and Sri Lanka is scheduled to take place in Pallekele on Saturday.
India T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.
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