Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma will address the media later today after the Champions Trophy team is chosen. The point is whether they will take some real questions and give some honest answers? For example, what’s the diagnosis on Jasprit Bumrah? Even if there is no timeframe for his return yet, surely there is a road map that has been planned. It has now been two weeks since Bumrah last bowled in Australia, and no one really knows what’s going on with him. While he tweeted saying he isn’t under bed rest, isn’t it fair to all tell his fans and everyone else what is going on? People are concerned, and a medical bulletin is in order.
Second, we have recently heard a lot about the importance of domestic cricket. On the Australia tour, there was a certain Abhimanyu Easwaran who has 7,000 runs in domestic cricket. And Sarfaraz Khan, who averages more than 65. And yet, neither was given an opportunity. It was clearly because you did not have faith in their abilities. Now, if Easwaran and Sarfaraz score tons of runs in domestic cricket, what will change for them? Will you all of a sudden start to give more weightage to domestic cricket, and reward performances at that level?
That’s where Karun Nair becomes relevant. The legendary Sachin Tendulkar tweeted yesterday, saying that Karun’s 750-plus runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy stand testimony to his hard work and persistence, not to mention his stellar form. Will he be rewarded with a place as one of the five travelling reserves? Even if he doesn’t make the 15-member squad, being a part of the reserves would mean a lot to him. That’s when his efforts in domestic cricket would have been properly rewarded.
Assuming Mohammed Shami makes the team, now a mere formality, will Agarkar tell us if they would consider Shami for red-ball cricket going forward? Even if he isn’t able to play all five Tests in England, is it not enough if he plays three matches like Scott Boland did in Australia?
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As for Rohit, there is enough and more speculation about his future. Is the Champions Trophy the last time we will see him as captain of India, or is he keen on continuing if he has a good tournament? Will he comment on all the stories doing the rounds about differences between him and Gautam Gambhir? Is it not good to address the elephant in the room and put all rumours to rest? If Rohit tackles the issue head on, it would be a welcome sign for Indian cricket. If he decides to leave the ball outside off stump, the speculation will only grow in the days to come.
In sum, Rohit and Agarkar have an opportunity. To use the press conference to make a statement. About transparency and respect and team bonding. About the road map ahead and how Indian cricket will be run in the near future. About a media policy that will see journalists and players come together, rather than treating each other as poles apart.
At a time when we have seen a new set of guidelines, let’s hope we will also see a very different press conference. More open and transparent, and meaningful.
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