The Board of Control for Cricket in India has called coach Gautam Gambhir, senior selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar, and Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman to its Mumbai headquarters on Thursday to discuss the roadmap ahead for Indian cricket. The meeting will also review India’s losses on tour in Ireland and England. Board secretary Devajit Saikia had earlier said the board would review India’s away form after those losses, but the meeting was delayed for reasons that remain unclear.
The results being reviewed make for grim reading. India lost the two-match T20I series in Ireland 2-0 in June, a defeat that ended a run of 16 unbeaten series stretching nearly three years for the reigning T20 World Cup champions. The tour of England that followed was worse: India lost the five-match T20I series 4-0, with a 125-run defeat in Nottingham among the low points, before salvaging some pride in the ODIs, winning the opener in Birmingham but ultimately losing that series 2-1 as well.
India are due to travel to New Zealand later this year, and with the 2027 World Cup in mind, the board wants all stakeholders aligned. Player injury management will be a major focus: the board and CoE have faced criticism recently over a string of players breaking down ahead of crucial tours, with many players reportedly lacking confidence in the CoE, and a communication gap evident between players, the CoE, and the selection committee.
There has been at least one instance where the selection committee wasn’t informed that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah wasn’t fit for a tour. Washington Sundar was also ruled out, while Sai Sudharsan took longer to recover than expected. The meeting will also address how IPL workload affects player fitness; team management has previously raised concerns with the BCCI about not having players available at full strength.
Even in India’s T20I squad announcement for the series against Afghanistan, four players’ participation remains unconfirmed pending fitness. Bumrah, Washington, Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana are set to undergo fitness tests on September 9. With the New Zealand tour in mind, the board will discuss how to keep its pool of fast bowlers fit and what can be done to reduce the injury rate going forward.
The BCCI and team management will also discuss Hardik Pandya’s fitness and recovery. The selection committee wants him available for the 2027 World Cup, but he currently cannot bowl more than five or six overs in an ODI.
Having spent years covering Mumbai’s local "maidan" cricket circuit, Devendra Pandey brings a unique ground-level perspective to his reporting. ... Read More
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