Focus on Agarkar, Laxman and Gambhir in BCCI meeting

VVS Laxman, Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir might take centre stage, as a high-profile BCCI meeting is scheduled to be held here in Mumbai on Thursday.

After the debacle on the UK tour, where India lost the T20I series against Ireland and England and also went down 2-1 in the three-match ODI series against England, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia spoke about holding a review meeting. With India going to Zimbabwe for a three-match T20I series followed by two Tests in Sri Lanka, the meeting couldn’t take place. Finally, it is happening.

In June, Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector, was given a three-month extension until September. Whether he will be given another extension will be based on the discussion between him and the BCCI. It also needs to be taken into account whether Agarkar wants to continue. With the ODI World Cup scheduled next year, the cricket board might seek continuity. Then again, the World Cup is in October-November 2027 and Agarkar, who assumed office in July 2023, can continue until June 2027. This is by the rulebook, which says a selector can continue for up to four years in a selection committee, junior and senior, while the cumulative term is five years, with the two committees combined. So, this factor will be taken into consideration as well.

During Agarkar’s time so far as chief selector, India have won three ICC trophies — two T20 World Cups and the Champions Trophy. But with the Test team going through a rebuilding process, performance in the longest format has nosedived. India suffered two home-series whitewashes against New Zealand and South Africa, although the series win in Sri Lanka last month could be a silver lining. Agarkar’s committee has taken some ruthless decisions, like phasing out Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in red-ball cricket, and dropping Suryakumar Yadav and appointing Shreyas Iyer as the new T20I skipper on the heels of the World Cup triumph in March this year.

Will there be a bigger role for Laxman, the batting legend, who is the head of cricket at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence? There has been talk about split coaching and giving him the red-ball responsibility. But this is unlikely to happen. However, it is learnt that Laxman is set to have a bigger role, with stories abounding that he could be the director of cricket or the new chief selector if Agarkar’s tenure is not extended.

Fitness has been a bigger concern. India have been suffering from this since the UK tour. They also missed key players for the Test series in Sri Lanka, with 10 cricketers doing rehabilitation at the CoE. Even the squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan came with asterisks, as the availability of four players — Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy — is subject to fitness clearance. Why are so many injuries happening? Is there a lack of coordination between the CoE, the selection committee and the Indian team management? This is a pressing issue that needs to be discussed.

Shubman Gill, the Test and ODI captain, spoke about the fitness issues during the ODI series in England in July. Gambhir, the head coach, doubled down on it during the Test series in Sri Lanka. “We want our best players to be playing as much cricket as possible,” Gambhir told reporters in Colombo. “And it’s good for Indian cricket as well, because if there’s continuity, if we can put our best players on the spot as regularly as we can, it’s only going to help us get the results as well.”

With India still in the reckoning for the World Test Championship final in the current cycle and a World Cup only a year away, the BCCI needs to get the fitness issues sorted.

India’s preparations for the upcoming Test series in New Zealand, followed by a five-match home series against Australia early next year, will also be discussed at the meeting.

With regards to Gambhir as head coach, he has done well in the shorter formats. But his Test record doesn’t make a good reading.

Meanwhile, the BCCI AGM will be held on September 18.

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