Ajit Agarkar and Co show spine and foresight in handling Ro-Ko Test retirements

Selecting the forever under scrutiny Indian cricket team can be a "thankless job" and in the recent past, panels have also been labelled "spineless" for not taking tough calls. However, in a matter of one week, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection has changed that perception by playing a major role in the Test retirements of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Needless to say, head coach Gautam Gambhir was kept in the loop.

Considering the start of a two-year World Test Championship cycle with the England series beginning June 20, the selectors had conveyed to Rohit of their decision to move on before accepting Kohli's wish to call time on his five-day career, providing another clear indication of their long-term vision for the team.

In a country where it becomes awkward to handle the retirements of legends like Kohli and Rohit, the selectors has shown the required foresight.

Dilip Vengsarkar, someone who understands the pressure of a selector's job rather well having been a chief selector himself, said that Agarkar and Co deserve credit for professionally handling the Test retirements of the two Indian greats.

"Absolutely. Because selectors are the last people to get any credit for that matter," Vengsarkar told PTI when asked if the selectors should be praised for deftly dealing with Kohli and Rohit.

"Having said that, it is very difficult to compare selection panels. I wouldn't like to do that. Everybody has their own vision," said Vengsarkar, who both tracked Rohit and Kohli in their younger days as a chief selector.

Will the gamble on youth pay-off?

By moving on from Kohli and Rohit, the selectors have taken a huge punt on the younger lot comprising Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant. Gill, who is yet to prove himself in SENA countries, is set to be appointed captain with Pant being his likely deputy.

Though K L Rahul has led the Test side in the past, the selectors are more inclined towards Gill, who is eight years younger than the Karnataka batter.

"You have to think long term as a selector and that is why someone like Gill is being preferred. One could not have made Jasprit Bumrah the full time captain with his lingering injury concerns, therefore, Gill becomes the automatic choice

"He has been around for a while. And now with Rohit and Kohli not there, it presents a massive opportunity for the talented bunch of youngsters," a BCCI official told PTI.

Both Rohit and Kohli had a tough time in Australia, more so the latter who had to drop himself in the final Test due to an extended lean patch. Rohit wanted to test himself in the initial part of the five match series in England but with significant risk of a Sydney like situation surfacing, the selectors took the wise call.

Kohli, on the other hand, was expected to overcome his outside the off stump demons in England after a difficult run Down Under but he has decided to walk into the sunset.

The Indian superstar had overcome the demons of England 2014 in the following series in the UK four years later but this time he was in a different phase of his career.

Did that play a part in his retirement?


"I would not say that, to be honest with you, because Kohli did very well in Test match cricket. He has played more than 120 Tests (123). You see we are obsessed with milestones and statistics, which is not correct," said Vengsarkar.

"It doesn't show you the true contribution of a batsman. The impact, that is what matters in Test match cricket. How you bat out a particular session, for that matter, that doesn't show in statistics.

"I wish both Rohit and Kohli had retired after the England series because that's a very important series. Having said that, we need to respect their decision."