Gambhir-Agarkar lay down strict guidelines for players' workload management

Gautam Gambhir's plain-speak and Ajit Agarkar's 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 cherry-picking series by citing workload management could be over.

They explained certain tough calls while in a few things, they were subtle yet said enough to allow people to read between the lines.

Physically, 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 don't change readily.

As they put up a united front in their first joint media interaction, it was clear that they were ready to put their money where their mouths were.

Technically, 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 road-map for the 2027