In a high-stakes meeting held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday, January 12, the performance of the Indian cricket team came under intense scrutiny following the team’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 debacle.
The meeting was attended by the Indian captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, BCCI president Roger Binny, vice president Rajeev Shukla, and joint secretary Devjit Saikia.
Domestic Cricket now mandatory for India’s senior players, declares BCCI
According to a Dainik Jagran report, after the review of India’s recent performance, especially against Australia and New Zealand, the BCCI has issued a non-nonsense directive, mandating the senior players to participate in domestic cricket to improve their performance and stay match-ready.
The BCCI tightens its grip on the centrally contracted players, allowing them only to skip domestic cricket matches only under strict conditions. Players seeking exemption must provide a detailed report from the physio and approval from both Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar.
The report said that the BCCI will only give the green light to those players if Indian coach Gambhir and chief selector Agarkar cite workload management or other genuine concerns. BCCI’s message is bold and clear that there will be no exceptions, only full commitment to the game at all levels.
BCCI puts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli under scrutiny for poor form and Domestic Cricket absence
Meanwhile, the high-profile meeting also addressed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s performance issues as well on Saturday. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s disappointing tour of Australia has raised serious questions about their form and future in the Indian Test team.
Rohit managed just 31 runs in five innings and opted out of the final Test in Sydney due to poor performance, while Kohli scored a century in Perth but struggled overall, amassing only 190 runs in nine innings, often falling to deliveries outside off stump in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
Adding to the concerns is their long absence from domestic cricket. Rohit last played a Ranji Trophy match in 2015, while Kohli’s last appearance came back in 2012. This gap was reportedly a key topic during the BCCI’s review meeting in Mumbai, where their poor form and lack of domestic match practice were discussed.
According to the report in Dainik Jagran, this gap was also discussed during the BCCI’s review meeting in Mumbai. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli’s poor form with the bat and lack of domestic match practice were also discussed during the review meeting.
BCCI seeks solutions from Gautam Gambhir and selectors as Rohit and Kohli’s Test future in doubt
India’s next Test series is against England in June 2025, and speculation is mounting about whether Rohit and Kohli will make the squad for the highly anticipated UK tour. With their recent performances under scrutiny, the future of India’s biggest cricketing icons is under threat.
On the other hand, Gautam Gambhir’s coaching stint with Team India has started on a rough note. Team India lost the ODI series against Sri Lanka, faced a crushing Test whitewash at home against New Zealand, and lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia for the first time in 10 years.
Adding to the woes, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team missed out on securing a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final for the first time. With these results, the BCCI demands immediate solutions from Gambhir, selectors, and team management to get India back on track.