The Board of Control for Cricket in India convened a crucial review meeting in Mumbai on Thursday, bringing together captains Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and CoE head VVS Laxman to address the Indian team’s recent T20I and ODI series defeats.
Key Points
- A high-level BCCI review meeting was held in Mumbai with key figures like Shreyas Iyer, Gautam Gambhir, and VVS Laxman in attendance.
- The meeting addressed India’s recent T20I series whitewash against Ireland and a 4-0 T20I series loss to England, alongside a 2-1 ODI series defeat.
- The review was initially delayed due to India’s Test tour of Sri Lanka, highlighting the urgency of addressing team performance.
- India is set to play a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, with Shreyas Iyer leading and Jasprit Bumrah returning, subject to fitness.
India Test and ODI captain Shreyas Iyer, T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer, head coach Gautam Gambhir, CoE chief VVS Laxman along with BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia met at the Board of Control for Cricket in India headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday for a review meeting.
Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar joined the meeting virtually.
The meeting reviewed the Indian team’s disappointing performances during the tour of Ireland and England and to chart out a roadmap for Indian cricket going forward.
They also discussed the ODI future of Rohit Sharma and fitness woes of key players like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya.
Hardik Pandya’s Fitness Woes
Hardik Pandya’s fitness is a big worry for the BCCI with the premier all-rounder struggling to make a comeback despite a long lay-off, having last played a competitive match in IPL 2026 in May.
The selection committee is hoping Pandya can play a big part for India in the ODI World Cup next year, but currently the seamer is unable to increase his workload and can only bowl 5-6 overs in an ODI.
The team management and BCCI officials are likely to work out a plan for Pandya’s gradual return to the Indian ODI team with an ultimate aim of getting him in peak shape for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Rohit’s Future To Be Discussed
The review meeting will also discuss Rohit Sharma’s future in the Indian ODI team.
There were unconfirmed reports that the 39-year-old former India skipper had been told by the selectors during the ODI series in England in July that they want to look beyond him and would like to give Yashasvi Jaiswal a long rope.
However, Rohit silenced all doubts about his place in India’s ODI team as he blasted his way to a 84-ball century in the series-deciding third and final One-Day International at Lord’s.
Following that hundred, BCCI secretary Saikia also clarified that Rohit will continue to play for India.
“There are lot of speculations going on in media about Rohit Sharma’s future. I want to firmly assert that there has been no such discussion that Rohit will be playing his last match at Lord’s on Sunday,” Saikia said.
“Rohit is a regular member of the Indian ODI team and he will continue to represent the country as long as he is in the scheme of things. In other words, Lord’s ODI won’t be his last match,” the BCCI secretary stated.
It is understood that the BCCI top brass wasn’t happy about how chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir looked at the issue. The BCCI secretary issued an official statement after a day long discussions involving all the stakeholders.
Rohit was apparently very unhappy that he was informed about the decision prior to an important game and he had already expressed his displeasure at how a senior cricketer was being treated.
Addressing Recent Performance Concerns
India suffered consecutive series whitewashes in T20 cricket earlier this year. The T20 World Champions suffered a humiliating 2-0 series sweep in Ireland before they were trounced 4-0 in England, where they also lost the ODI series 2-1.
While India registered a 1-0 Test series victory in Sri Lanka, their inability to bowl out the hosts on Day 5 of the second and final Test in Colombo has dented their hopes to qualify for next year’s ICC World Test Championship Final, which has certainly not pleased the BCCI.
‘Board Secretary Devajit Saikia had earlier said the board would review India’s away form after those losses (in Ireland and England), but the meeting was delayed for reasons that remain unclear,’ reported the Indian Express newspaper.
Recent Fitness Woes
Adding to the Board’s woes is that the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru has come under the scanner with top players like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya struggling to recover their fitness in time.
There are reports that players are not totally convinced with their recovery programme at the CoE, while the selection committee has been hampered by not getting proper information about player availability.
With the crucial two Test series in New Zealand starting next month, the BCCI meeting on Thursday is aiming to chart a plan to keep its pool of fast bowlers fit and reduce the injury rate in the future.
The BCCI review meeting will also discuss on how the IPL workload affects the fitness of the Indian players with the team management having raised concerns about not having their top players available at all times.
Source: www.rediff.com
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