Three days before India’s scheduled departure to Australia for the much-anticipated five-Test series for the Border Gavaskar Trophy, India’s team management had a meeting with the top Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hierarchy.
India captain Rohit Sharma and selection panel chairman Ajit Agarkar met BCCI president Roger Binny and secretary Jay Shah at the Cricket Centre, the BCCI headquarters, here on Thursday evening. Sportstar understands that head coach Gautam Gambhir also joined through teleconferencing.
According to a source, the meeting was not a knee-jerk reaction to India’s series whitewash at home by New Zealand.
“It was a routine meeting between the office-bearers and the senior team management. They were supposed to meet during the Pune Test but since the office-bearers couldn’t travel to Pune, it was scheduled this week.”
However, the timing of the meeting is bound to raise eyebrows, considering the annihilation on home soil for three matches in succession. The series loss has also put India’s chances of qualifying for the World Test Championship in jeopardy.
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The New Zealand series – Gambhir’s first major Test assignment since taking charge in July – saw India reverting to the rank-turner policy. While the policy backfired, it put additional pressure on Gambhir and Rohit – who along with veteran Virat Kohli have had a forgettable 2024 with the willow in Tests – for the forthcoming tour.
The source, however, stressed that the meeting focused more on charting out the roadmap than discussing the series loss against New Zealand.
With Shah set to resign at the month-end and take over as the ICC Chair next month, the meeting may end up being his last meeting with the team management in his current capacity.
India’s squad will depart for Perth in two batches, on November 10 and 11. The first Test will commence on November 22.
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