All the attention is on the Indian Test team which is in Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. After they lost 0-3 against New Zealand at home, there has been a lot of flak the Test team has received.
While all eyes will be on their performance in Australia, there are reports that chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir are also going to focus on creating a roadmap for the white-ball team. According to the Times of India (TOI), the BCCI has asked Agarkar to stay back in Australia and collaborate closely with Gambhir to understand where each player is at in their respective careers.
After the historic drubbing against New Zealand at home, there were reports that Gambhir, Agarkar and Rohit were not on the same page for team selection and the pitches to be used. Hence, it is understood that the BCCI wants better synchronization between the big heads of the team.
“Both Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir know that such poor performance in India will trigger widespread criticism, which is justified. Since it’s a long tour, both can sit together and discuss how things can be taken forward after the tour. Both will need at least a year and a half to build a team with strong backup. That’s where both have to be on the same page about the process,” a source was quoted saying to TOI.
Focus on the future
The source reported to TOI that with the transition imminent, the head coach and chief selector will need to assess the performance of players along with their short-term and long-term goals, keeping in mind the next World Test Championship (WTC) cycle (2025-27) and the ODI World Cup 2027. The senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin are vital cogs of the team but their future will be the one which could be discussed at length.
“Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja are all in their late 30s. These senior players are still a very important part of the team. But one may expect some tough discussions as well. The seniors will be kept in the loop about the vision of the selectors and coach. They will be asked to share how they plan their careers going into the next World Test Championship cycle and the ODI World Cup being about two years away,” the source further added.
After the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India’s focus will shift to the Champions Trophy 2025. According to reports, it is learnt that Gambhir along with skipper Rohit will narrow down the core of players who are likely to be a part of the eight-team ICC event. India have only three ODIs before the Champions Trophy which is against England in late January.
