The BCCI is reportedly set to review the Indian team’s humiliating 1-3 defeat in the recently concluded five-match Test series against Australia. The defeat not only ended India’s decade-long hold on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but also prevented them from qualifying for the Test World Cup finals for the first time.
India’s chances of qualifying for the finals are hanging by a thread after they lost 3-0 at home to New Zealand. The Rohit Sharma-led team needed nothing short of a miracle in Australia to turn things around.
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The Indian has started the tour well. While Rohit Sharma missed the first Test, stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah led the team to a famous 295-run victory in Perth. But things only went downhill after Australia thoroughly dominated Team India in their own backyard.
The hosts leveled the series by winning the second Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets. Australia were also in the driving seat in the third Test, but rain prevented them from winning as the match ended in a draw. The Pat Cummins-led side then won the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne to take the lead in the series for the first time.
India had to win the fifth Test in Sydney at any cost to stay in contention for the WTC finals. However, they were once again outplayed by Australia as the team from Down Under reclaimed the coveted Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time since 2014/15.
BCCI to discuss fate of Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli:
After the debacle in Australia, Indian captain Rohit Sharma, his predecessor Virat Kohli as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir faced fierce criticism. There have been calls from several quarters to drop both senior batsmen from the team, while also sacking Gambhir as Test coach.
Both Rohit Sharma and Kohli had terrible moments in Australia as they fell short of expectations. In 5 Tests, Kohli scored 190 runs of which 100 came in the second innings of the first Test. On the other hand, the Indian captain played 3 Tests and managed to score only 31 runs. Both players also failed to reach the 100-run mark in the three-match Test series against New Zealand.
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However, IANS reported that the trio including head coach Gambhir will survive the debacle. The report said both batsmen will remain in contention to represent the country in the Champions Trophy and the five-match Test series against England in June.
“Yes, there will be a review meeting, but no sacking. Come on, you can’t sack a coach because of a batsman’s poor performance in one series. Gautam Gambhir will remain as coach and Virat and Rohit will play in England, the series is the focus of the Champions Trophy,” they said. BCCI sources.
Earlier, Gambhir was also asked about the future of Rohit and Kohli in the team after the fifth Test in Sydney. In response, the former India opener said, “I can’t talk about the future of any player. It also depends on them.”
India’s next task is the white-ball series against England. The men in blue will play 5 T20Is and 3 ODIs against England before heading to Dubai for the Champions Trophy next month.
