NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has drawn up a roadmap to address India’s recent overseas setbacks, mounting player injuries and preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup, with secretary Devajit Saikia revealing details of Thursday’s high-level review meeting in Mumbai.The meeting, attended by head coach Gautam Gambhir, Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, T20I captain Shreyas Iyer and Centre of Excellence director VVS Laxman, reviewed India’s recent tours of Ireland and England as well as the team’s preparations for the next phase of the international calendar.Chief selector Ajit Agarkar was absent, but Saikia said there was no controversy behind his non-participation and insisted no discussion took place about his future.
‘BCCI is working like a well oiled engine’
Saikia strongly rejected suggestions of a communication gap between the team management and the Centre of Excellence, particularly after several high-profile injury setbacks.“Everybody is on the same page. BCCI is working in a very well like a well oiled engine,” Saikia told reporters.“There is proper coordination amongst all the wings of BCCI, whether it is women’s teams committees or their technical staff or their coaches, vis-a-vis the COE, vis-a-vis the Indian men’s team’s coaching staff and the head coach. There is no difficulty in the coordination, everything is moving in the right direction.”However, he admitted that the frequency of injuries remains a major concern and said the board intends to address it through changes to the next Future Tours Programme (FTP).“The only challenge which we are facing is that there are too many matches in the year and that is why in the next FTP we will do certain things, we will take certain measures.”The proposed changes will particularly affect preparation for tours to SENA countries — South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia.“We have instructed our FTP persons who will be meeting very soon in various international forums that our FTP should be in such a way it should be scheduled that there is proper rest for the players as well as some kind of acclimatisation or some kind of friendly matches before any major series in SENA countries,” Saikia said.The comments come after India suffered a difficult run in overseas white-ball cricket, losing 0-2 to Ireland in the T20Is before a 1-4 defeat to England in the five-match series. India also lost the ODI series in England 1-2.
‘We have to do certain soul searching’
Saikia acknowledged India’s shortcomings and said the review meeting focused on understanding why the team had struggled.“We discussed (about) our team performed in England and Ireland and also about what we are going to do about the next one year. The road map has been prepared and we will be doing some exercises so that we have a very good performance in 2027 (ODI) World Cup,” he said.“Yes, we did not do well. We lost matches in Ireland and England, so we wanted to know what the reasons were. We have to do certain soul searching about that, and in future, what we will be doing before going to any of the SENA countries, we have chalked out some strategy on that.”The board also revisited its Return to Play protocols, with feedback sought directly from Gill, Iyer and Gambhir.“Today’s discussion was totally general in nature, what policy and protocols we have to maintain regarding maintaining the fitness level of every player — not any individual — and what is best interest of the team, we have considered that only,” Saikia said.“We have taken the feedback from the captains and the head coach who are the right persons to give us the information, so that we chalk up a proper strategy to avoid all this kind of unwanted situations during matches.”
Rohit speculation addressed, Agarkar absence explained
Saikia also pushed back against renewed speculation surrounding Rohit Sharma’s ODI future and his prospects of playing at the 2027 World Cup.“He is playing superbly in all the matches. So, what more do you want? In the last match, he scored 138 runs. So, why there is a speculation? So, I don’t want to give fodder to the speculations,” Saikia said.Rohit had scored a century at Lord’s in his last ODI appearance, intensifying the debate over whether he would continue until the 2027 World Cup.Saikia also explained why Agarkar was absent from the meeting.“Today he (Agarkar) was out of station, so he could not be a part of the meeting. Because this meeting was called at very short notice and our head of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, was not in town, he could not join it, and he was in such an area that he could not join online also, despite our best efforts,” he said.“There was no such discussion on this in today’s meeting. I do not comment on new rumours. We did not have any such discussions, nor did we have such intentions.”He further ruled out any discussion about appointing a new director of cricket.“There was no discussion on the selection committee. Our whole focus was on performances in England and Ireland, as well as the recent Test series in Sri Lanka and what we are going to do in the upcoming series before the ODI World Cup, which is our ultimate goal,” Saikia said.
BCCI still searching for sports science chief
The vacant Head of Sports Science and Medicine position at the CoE was another issue addressed by Saikia, who insisted it had not affected the centre’s functioning.“I would like to reiterate once more that the vacant position of the head of the sports science is not a deterrent of our activities in COE,” he said.“(Filling) that post is required, but that is a very high level post, and for that, a proper qualified person should be positioned. We have about 16 persons in place to maintain the fitness level or the rehab facilities.”“To supervise that one important person is required, and for that he must be qualified up to a different level. That kind of person is very less in number in India, as well as in the whole world.“We are trying to find out that kind of a person at the earliest possible time but without him also it is running in the right manner,” Saikia added.The meeting, therefore, ended without any major immediate personnel changes, but with the BCCI setting out a broader plan: reduce the burden of an overcrowded calendar, improve overseas preparation, strengthen injury management and build towards the 2027 World Cup.
