Gautam Gambhir's 'Not A Selector' Comment Receives Brutal Jibe: "Only Rejects..."
The decision to include Shreyas Iyer in the Indian cricket team squad for the upcoming Test series against England has resulted in a lot of debate among fans and experts. Shreyas enjoyed a brilliant run of form in the last one year and although his IPL batting performance was quite impressive, he was not considered for the series. While chief selector Ajit Agarkar gave a detailed reason for not selecting him, head coach Gautam Gambhir just said that 'I am not the selector' - an indication that the coaching staff was not included in the process. During the 12th episode of Bails and Banter on the OTTplay app, former Indian pacer Atul Wassan took a slight dig at Gambhir - 'he doesn't select; he only rejects'.
Wassan added that a coach plays a key role in team selection process.
"If he (Gautam Gambhir) has been given this position, then I think he deserves to go with his feeling, whether it's right or wrong," he explained.
Earlier, Gambhir hailed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for dedicating the final of IPL 2025 — scheduled for June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad — to the Indian Armed Forces, in honour of Operation Sindoor, the military response to the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, which claimed 26 civilian lives.
This gesture from the BCCI and IPL Governing Council marks a first-of-its-kind tribute in the league's history. The Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, and Chief of Air Staff have been officially invited to attend the grand finale.
"It's an unbelievable step from BCCI. You know, we normally criticise the BCCI for various things, but this is unbelievable. This is something where I think BCCI has taken a great initiative from a point of view where the entire nation is one, and the entire nation has to salute the armed forces for what they do unconditionally, saving and protecting us," Gambhir told the reporters on the sidelines of the Goswami Ganesh Dutt Memorial Cricket Tournament.
The IPL final, initially set for May 26, was rescheduled to June 3 following a week-long suspension of the tournament due to rising tensions between India and Pakistan. The escalation — and India's subsequent military action across the Line of Control and in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir — saw the nation rally around its armed forces, leading the BCCI to take a conscious call to align the tournament's climax with a patriotic tribute.
Since the restart, every IPL match has opened with the national anthem, while digital boards across stadiums flash a constant message: 'Thank You, Armed Forces.' The initiative has received widespread appreciation from players and fans alike.
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