A high-powered meeting of the top brains of Indian cricket will be held in Mumbai on Thursday. There is no announced agenda, but, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had stated earlier, the recent performance of the Indian team – be it in the UK or Sri Lanka – is expected to come under review.
The meeting will be attended by head coach Gautam Gambhir, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia will, of course, convene and preside over the proceedings. All are expected to be present in person.
Late on Tuesday evening, it emerged that Shubman Gill, too, had been invited to the meeting and would attend in person. Cricbuzz understands that the India Test and ODI captain is taking the discussions seriously and wants to be actively involved in planning for the team’s future assignments, as well as share his feedback on the recent series.
There is no immediate information on whether Shreyas Iyer, the T20I skipper, will also attend in person, but it can be confirmed that he will be part of the meeting, either physically or virtually.
At the centre of the review will be the Indian team’s recent performances, particularly in Ireland and England, where the white-ball teams suffered drubbings at the hands of the hosts. The Indian team, the T20 World Cup champions, failed to win any of the six completed T20Is in Ireland and England. The BCCI had promised a review of the performance.
“The BCCI is currently observing the performance of the Indian T20 team which has not been up to the mark in the ongoing series against England. However this is not something abnormal and can happen in international cricket. We consider it as a purely bad phase,” Saikia had said in July when the white-ball series against England was underway
There is also the issue of Rohit Sharma. The BCCI and the chief selectors did not appear to be on the same page over his future. After it was reported that the selectors did not want Rohit for the 2027 World Cup and that the Lord’s ODI would be his last, the BCCI was quick to issue a denial. The meeting should throw some light on Rohit’s future.
The meeting will also look ahead, particularly to the challenging away series against New Zealand, where India will play a full-fledged multi-format series comprising five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests, as well as the 2027 ODI World Cup. The top brains will also discuss India’s standing in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and the administrative measures that may need to be initiated to improve the team’s performance.
Of late, there has also been speculation over the future of Ajit Agarkar and the possibility of VVS Laxman taking up a larger role involving the Indian team. Neither the BCCI, Agarkar nor Laxman has ever spoken on the matter, but some clarity could emerge on those fronts after the meeting.
Coming as it does ahead of the BCCI’s AGM, the meeting gains added significance, as decisions taken here could subsequently be placed before the general body.
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