Boria Majumdar
In an exclusive interview with RevSportz’s Editor-in-Chief Boria Majumdar, former India wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta, who is now a commentator, speaks about Shubman Gill’s captaincy, Shreyas Iyer’s omission from the Asia Cup squad, Jasprit Bumrah’s workload management, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s future and more. Excerpts:
Boria: How do you see the selection of Asia Cup squad?
Deep: First of all, it’s always a pleasure speaking to to you.
Talking about the squad, at this point when it comes to white-ball cricket, it has got so many players, I can name at least 30-35 of them and every one of them would have reasons to be picked and not to be picked, so it’s a very difficult team to select. Because when you have that many options and from that you have to come down to 15-16, it will be a tough job and hence there will be questions which indeed is a positive sign I feel. Being a difficult decision to make I would say I am happy with the selection and not too many questions as far as I am concerned. I’m looking at T20 cricket and the riches that India have gotten in this format is amazing. You’re looking at rules, defining rules, and then picking teams based on the rules, rather than the other way around. This is how I look at making the Indian side pick a role that you want for the top order batters, for middle order or bowler and then pick the names which you have 2-3 options for each.
Boria: Where do you stand on Shubman Gill?
Deep: As far as captaincy is concerned, all I would say is the selectors should stick with the vice-captain because the issue that we had with the red ball was we had so many of these vice-captains and when Rohit (Sharma) retired, you didn’t have one or two names to decide from. What I would want to see is they stay fixed with Shubman and then he becomes the heir-apparent and the next guy in line. Shubman has led the side well in red-ball cricket in England, he will learn more, he will learn the more he does that. I also think as a player I see him as what Virat (Kohli) has done successfully over the last decade in T20 cricket. If you look at mult-ination tournaments, you generally don’t have 200-220 games, rather you have 160-170 games and that’s where you need one in your top order (in 1-2-3 position) who can hold the innings together which Virat has done superbly over the years.
So you need one guy like Virat, who can play in different situations in different conditions not necessary always 200. While you have a Suryakumar Yadav, a Tilak Varma, a Yashasvi Jaiswal, an Abhishek Sharma, you also need one guy to keep it all together from one. I think there are a couple of names, one is Shubham another is Shreyas Iyer that comes straight to my mind. If they go with Shubman, it is fine and I think he will do that job really well.
Boria: Do you think Shreyas (Iyer) would feel let down to have been left out?
Deep: We are playing so much of T20 cricket. It’s just a matter of time and we see a lot of rotation in the next one year. I see most of those guys play for India — those 30-35 names that I was talking about. But yeah, big challenges now looking at the World Cup with it being just six months away, it becomes the dress rehearsal for that and you will try and stick with the squad as much as possible till the World Cup.
From that perspective you to feel for him (Shreyas Iyer), but then again, every time you take someone, the question would be ‘Who do you drop then’? I myself have asked similar questions and somebody said, ‘Rinku Singh’ so I said he (Shreyas) is not going to bat at No. 6 and do the job of what a Rinku or a Shivam Dubey would do. You can’t really compare apples and oranges. What everyone should keep in mind is that when you mention a name, you mention a place for that person as well.
Boria: Am I right in saying that India are going (into the Asia Cup) as overwhelming favourites, given current form?
Deep: One team that you’re gonna watch out for especially in the subcontinent conditions, would be Afghanistan. You have already seen Afghanistan beating Pakistan. So to be fair it has to be without a shadow of doubt, the number two team at least in Asia. So that’s one team you gotta be careful about because earlier on Afghanistan was predominantly about bowling but then now they’ve got batters, seamers and It’s a well-rounded side now. So yes, favourites? Definitely. Overwhelming? Maybe, maybe not.
Boria: What about the India-Pakistan game?
Deep: India, definitely. I think Pakistan need to sort out its own team. Before we even start talking about them, I think internally they need to sort it out. To certain extent from cricketing point of view, it’s a shame as it’s always been such a good side, but the last few years with so much happening internally, they need to sort that out first, starting to look outwards.
Boria: Where do you stand on Jasprit Bumrah and this whole question on workload?
Deep: How I see is, if Jasprit is available, he should be available for the whole series and then the team decides.
I think the Indian team could have avoided mentioning from beforehand that he was going to play only three Tests and the decision could have stayed inside. Jasprit is the best bowler in the world across all formats, undoubtedly. I won’t question that, and his workload must be managed, he being an important player. But then, you also have to think about the team as a whole. And it’s not just for Jasprit, I am saying, in general, that if somebody is available, then they have to be available for the series/the tournament. There’s absolutely no two ways about it, but then that boils down to the team management, the coach, the physio, everyone involved to figure out how to manage that within the series/tournament. But going into the tournament saying someone will play only x number of games, it complicates the matter.
Boria: In the Asia Cup, would you open with Gill and Abhishek Sharma? And where do you stand on Sanju Samson?
Deep: For me, I would say now that Shubman is the vice-captain he definitely plays along with Abhishek Sharma. So that we have a left-right combination. At 3-4, I can’t look beyond Surya and Tilak (Varma) at this point. Again, left-hand, right-hand
combination. I think in this format, if you have that option, you’ve got to look at keeping that going as long as possible through an innings. And then we are talking about 5-6, I would say Jitesh (Sharma). He is a better option than Sanju. If you can’t make a place for Sanju in the top 3, then it becomes a little difficult. So, if it comes down to 5-6-7, I think I’m going to pick Jitesh over Sanju.
Boria: Do you see Virat (Kohli) and Rohit (Sharma) continue beyond Australia? Where do you stand on this point, that as players, ‘nobody can tell anyone to go and retire”?
Deep: 100 per cent, Boria. Nobody has got that right. We never told them to start, so we are nobody to tell them when to stop. They stop when they stop. It’s completely up to them. Yes, as far as selection is concerned we are in a performance-oriented industry. You keep performing, you stay. There is absolutely no two ways about it. I saw recently pictures of him (Rohit), he is looking fit, he is up and running and up for the challenge coming towards him.
So I think that’s absolutely fine, if they’re performing, it shouldn’t be any different from anyone else. Whether it’s Rohit, where it’s Virat, I personally feel they both have got a few years left in them going forward. And I seriously get a little annoyed when people say, “oh, this guy should retire”. I mean, who are we to suggest anything like that? Yeah, selection boils down to the selectors and all of that, but as long as they’re performing, it’s an absolute yes for me.
Boria: Now that they are not playing T20Is and Tests, do you think their hunger will sustain till 2027 with the lack of playing options available to them?
Deep: See, the big challenge for me is that hunger bit. If they have that hunger which it seems like they do, then they’ll find a way. For example, IPL will be there for two months. Then they will be playing 7-8 ODIs or maybe 8-9. Now between that, you’ve got the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Then, if they want, they can go and play 50 overs in England. So you have options to keep playing cricket, might not be at the highest level or international, but you still have. I don’t know if there is a possibility, maybe go to South Africa or maybe go to Australia and play some 50 Overs games there. I know, as far as England is concerned, that’s definitely an option. I don’t know much about the rules involved with South Africa, Australia though, but the bottom line is the hunger. If they are hungry enough, they will find a way.
Boria: I would be remiss not to ask you about Mohammed Siraj and reflect on him.
Deep: We always knew that he is all about heart, but the big question that I had before this series was, does he have the head as well, along with the heart? Knowing that Bumrah will only end up playing three Test matches, and the others are not experienced enough.
Siraj was the leader of the pack when Bumrah was not playing, so that was my concern and that came through in this series. The fact that he is also a thinking cricketer and he is not just about the heart. The way he has bowled right through the series.
Apart from the first Test, which I think he wasn’t at his best. Post that, he was absolutely brilliant, heart, head, everything together.
And the thing which was the biggest challenge was, on Day 5 morning, ‘could the Indian side, including the crowd and Siraj, recreate that environment of the fourth day evening’? Because had the game carried on Day 4, I was like ‘India’s winning’. So my big concern was for fifth morning that way. With overcast conditions, everything together, the whole crowd behind the team, the team, the momentum, and everything else.
And there he was. In the first over he bowled he got Jamie Smith out in the third ball if I’m not wrong. When you’re bowling, you’ve bowled, even though you’re tired, but you’re up for it. But then, when you go back to your room, you sleep, you wake up in the morning, really stiff, is another challenge. But just to see him coming and running in as hard as he was on the fourth evening was absolutely brilliant. The way he used his brains just tells me that he is such a mature bowler now.
Boria: How do you see Gautam Gambhir as India coach?
Deep: How I see is, okay, this team is going through a transition period and for me, the transition period would have two phases.
First one is the earlier generation leaving. Then, the next one where you are creating a new side for the future. I think we’re still in that middle phase where a lot of the guys are leaving and the new guys
are coming in. So you’ve got to put whole of Gautam’s strength so far in that context. You’ve got to be a little more patient, not just with Gautam, but with the team and players as well which would be another 6-8 months.
I think this team, whether it’s white-ball or red-ball, you’ll have a better idea of where the team is, a better idea of how the coaches performed if we give it some time. It’s little too early, keeping in mind that Indian teams going into a transition, to say anything about Gautam. I think he has done a good job in England. Yeah, obviously we’re talking about a start from the New Zealand series at home, which was kind of nightmarish. But then again, that was kind of start of the transition period, isn’t it? And I don’t think it’s complete as yet. I think it’ll be unfair to start judging based on what we’ve seen in the last 6-8 months.
Boria: It is an absolute pleasure chatting with you Deep.
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Catch the interview here
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India overwhelming favourites in #AsiaCup2025?@DeepDasgupta7 unplugged with @BoriaMajumdar… pic.twitter.com/B2dsYn1aPQ
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