Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar has been asked by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to stay in Australia for the entire duration of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. The reason behind Agarkar staying in Australia is to discuss the roadmap for the coming years with the current India cricket team head coach, Gautam Gambhir.
Agarkar & Gambhir to plan for the future
It’s believed that the selection committee and the head coach weren’t on the same page during the India vs New Zealand Test series. The decisions made throughout the series, whether it be regarding selection, strategies, or pitches, weren’t something they didn’t look eye to eye on. While the India tour of Australia has been planned out, the focus remains on thinking about the future.
“Both Agarkar and 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 BCCI source told the Times of India.
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One of the reasons why India lost the New Zealand series was due to the non-performance of three of the four most senior players in the Indian team. In the next 8–9 months, there are two International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments. After that, BCCI wants to think about the future and make some decisions regarding the future of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja, all of whom are over 36.
Gambhir and Agarkar wish to talk to them about their future. All four don’t play T20 cricket for India anymore, but the ODI World Cup in 2027 would be something that they might be interested in. Also, the next World Test Championship Final is in 2027.
“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 added.
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