Players to not be allowed to pick and choose series for workload management

Gautam Gambhirs plainspeak and Ajit Agarkars lucidity is set to make for a heady combo as the new head coach and the chairman of selectors looked completely in sync while spelling out in no uncertain terms that days of cherrypicking series by citing workload management could be overThey explained certain tough calls while in a few things they were subtle yet said enough to allow people to read between the linesPhysically neither Gambhir nor Agarkar have an imposing presence but ask anyone in the periphery of Indian cricket and people will swear by the fact that these are two individuals with sharp and informed takes which dont change readilyAs they put up a united front in their first joint Team India press conference it was clear that they were ready to put their money where their mouths wereTechnically it might seem that Agarkar enters his second year of chairmanship but perhaps like Gambhir this is also a fresh start in which the duo can create a roadmap for the 2027 ODI World CupAlso ReadFitness concerns went against Pandyarsquos captaincy claims says Ajit AgarkarSo what was the biggest takeaway from the GambhirAgarkar joint press briefing ahead of the tour of Sri LankaWorkload management seems to be the biggest oneThe prickly word in Indian cricket will again dominate air space but this time it is crystal clear that rules will be different for batters and bowlersIve said it before workload management for someone like Jasprit Bumrah is important If you are a batter who is in good form might as well play all the games Gambhir was as straight as ramrod in his reply when asked about his take on the issueIt was widely believed that both ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma and teams premier batter Virat Kohli will skip the three games in Sri Lanka but their presence ultimately is an indicator that both the seniors will probably play as many series as possibleNow that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will play only two formats I expect them to be available for most games Gambhir addressed the issue with a lot of clarity just like chairman Agarkar was up and ready to explain what went against Hardik Pandya who was considered to be a natural successor to Rohit at least in the T20 formatYou would want a captain thats going to be more likely to play all the games one couldnt get a more crystal clear answer to a pointed questionWhat was more refreshing was that unlike selection committee chairmen of the past Agarkar just didnt go by his gut feeling about the leadership qualities but also took the view of the change roomWhy Surya was made captain Because he is one of the deserving candidates The one we know has been around the dressing room over the last one year you get feedback from the dressing room a lot He has got a good cricketing brain and he is still one of the best T20 batters in the world Agarkar elaboratedIn the 27minute media conference one thing was reiterated time and again Stars can no longer pick and chooseAnd then Gambhir had to address the elephant in the room the conjectures about his relationship with Kohli something the straightshooter rejected as good for TRPGambhir might be perceived as a My Way or High Way man but his messaging was that he wants to be the agent that keeps the dressing room happyAnd what qualifies as a happy dressing roomA winning dressing room as Gambhir put itWith agency inputs