Mumbai: Australia’s embarrassing win over India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (3-1) has put the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) under the microscope to review head coach Gautam Gambhir’s performance.
While the primary agenda for the BCCI’s special general meeting (SGM) scheduled for 12 January in Mumbai may now include discussions about the team’s recent poor performances, the all-important discussion of who will replace suspended board President Arun Dhumal and other office bearers is likely to be confined to its usual scope.
Test cricket woes deepen for India as the team looks down the barrel of another defeat. India’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy series loss to Australia is the first time in a decade that Australia has taken all 3 Tests, albeit after India came away with a Test win in Perth to ensure the series was recorded as a draw.
Critics have questioned Gambhir’s strategies, particularly in the longer format of the game, since he took over as head coach in July. Under India’s T20 cricket captain, India’s dominance in T20 cricket has been proved, but with No. 3 Fan way tests and ODIs.
Additional scrutiny has been heaped on the team following their failure to reach a third consecutive World Test Championship final and their slip to third in the Test rankings.
Devajit Saikia will be the new BCCI secretary until September 2025 as he replaces Jay Shah for the next SGM. Arun Dhumal is also due to stand down as treasurer after serving two terms.
As part of these administrative changes, the board will most probably look into the Australia tour to have a comprehensive review of it, and it will be between Ajit Agarkar, who has been appointed as the chief selector, and the team management to assemble.
“It is not just the tour of Australia,” a BCCI official speaking on condition of anonymity said. The first blow for India in the race to the WTC finals was the decision to go for rank turners at home and then failing to deliver, said Sangakkara. Even Gambhir’s position will not be safe if performances do not improve, said the official.
It’s all eyes on Gambhir and the team in India’s run-up to the upcoming ODI series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy in February and March.
In the weeks ahead, the BCCI could make decisions that could change the future of Indian cricket.
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