Agarkar: It's very difficult to have three different captains

A new era begins for Indian cricket as Shubman Gill takes over the ODI captaincy, following his appointment as Test captain a few months ago. The decision to hand him the 50-over leadership was made with the 2027 World Cup in mind, according to Indian chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.

Although the marquee event in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia is still two years away, the sporadic scheduling of ODIs makes long-term planning challenging, said Agarkar. The coaching staff, in particular, faces added complexity if they must work with three different captains across formats.

Speaking at the press conference announcing the limited-overs squads for the Australia series, Agarkar explained: "Obviously, at some stage you've got to start looking at where the next World Cup is. It's also a format which is played the least now. So, you don't get that many games to actually give the next guy, or if there is going to be another guy, that much time to prepare himself or plan.

"And we're two years away still. It might look like a long time, but we don't quite know how many one-day games we might take. Closer to the World Cup, we might end up playing a little bit more than what we have. But the last one-day game we played was, what, 8th or 9th March in Champions Trophy. And the next one we play is on October 2019. So, it is a bit of a challenge with one-day cricket at the moment," said Agarkar.

"Of course, the focus has been on T20 World Cup. But slowly we'll start planning for that World Cup to come. So, as a plan, it gives the next guy enough time to plan with whatever games that we have coming. And it is very difficult to have three different captains for three formats. In terms of not just selectors, but more importantly, even for the coach, to plan with three different people is never easy," he added.

Gill faces a particularly tight schedule in the coming weeks. He is currently leading India in the two-Test series against West Indies, which concludes on October 14. The three ODIs against Australia follow closely on October 19, 23, and 25, while the five-match T20I series runs from October 29 to November 8, with Gill serving as vice-captain for the 20-over format. South Africa then visit India for a multi-format series - including two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is - scheduled from November 14 to December 19.

When asked whether this packed schedule risks burnout for Gill, Agarkar replied: "Hopefully not. I mean, he's still quite young. I mean, we saw what he did in England under immense pressure. So, there were really positive signs there. You've seen his record in one-day cricket as a batter. We hope there's no burnout.

"It is true there's a lot of cricket coming thick and fast over the next few months in particular. I mean, him particularly, but the team management as well. We'll try and manage it as best as we can. But we also want to, like I said, give the guy enough time to try and prepare going into that next World Cup, which is 24 months away, but may not be that many games. So, we want to give him the best possible chance."

Agarkar plays down Jadeja's exclusion

Agarkar, meanwhile, played down the exclusion of Ravindra Jadeja from the one-day squad for the Australia tour, stressing that it was a matter of team balance rather than a reflection on the all-rounder's abilities.

"With regards to Jaddu, I mean, look at the moment to take two left-arm spinners to Australia is not possible. He's clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is. But there will be some competition for places. It's not that he's... Of course, he was there in the Champions Trophy squad but because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there, at the moment we could only carry one and get some balance in the team with Washi [Washington Sundar] and Kuldeep [Yadav] there as well.

"And I don't think we would need more than that in Australia (as far as) spin (is concerned). But he's clearly in the scheme of things, Jaddu, with how good he is, what he offers us as a batter and a bowler, but particularly in the field as well. So, it's a short series, you can't accommodate everyone and unfortunately at the moment he's missing out, but it's nothing more than that," Agarkar said.

Regarding Bumrah's workload - he's been rested for the Australia one-dayers but is part of the T20I squad - Agarkar added: "We've already rested him for the one-day games. When we can manage his workload, we will do that. Like I said in the previous press conference, there was a month and a half or close to that five weeks or something since that Manchester Test that he played. There is always a plan. Wherever you can give him a break, you will.

"Because we all know how important he is. But we've also got to see what's in the interest of the team. And when we need him to play, he's always available. But we will look after not just him. Siraj bowls a lot of overs as well. There are other guys who do play test cricket who will end up having a lot of bowling to do. So we will try and manage all the seniors so that we minimise the risk of injuries," said Agarkar.