India’s T20 World Cup victory earlier this year has done little to mask the growing problem in the longest format. The team’s Test performances have declined significantly, despite better results in limited-overs cricket under the head coach Gautam Gambhirthe red ball setup remains a concern. Defeats at home to New Zealand and South Africa have indicated that India are no longer invincible in their conditions, with their World Test Championship final hopes now looking slim. Recognizing this problem, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has attempted to restructure its long-standing Test structure. According to PTI, the Center of Excellence headed by VVS Laxman has drawn up a detailed plan to rebuild India’s red-ball depth with a focus on the next generation. The centerpiece of this strategy is a four-day intra-CoE competition scheduled in June and July. Talents like Ayush Mahatre and Vibhu Suryavanshi will be featured in the tournament, which will feature 64 under-25 players. These players will be divided into four teams of 16, with each team playing two multi-day matches at different levels to simulate different match scenarios. The idea is to build a steady pipeline of Red Ball players who can serve India in the next decade. As part of this change, coaches and selectors have been instructed to prioritize Red Ball development at the High Performance Campus in Bengaluru over the coming year. A BCCI source told PTI, “The India Emerging side will consist of only U-25 players and they will form the India A teams for the shadow tour as well. The roadmap will be made keeping senior chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir in the loop.” “After the IPL ends, both India U-19 and Emerging (U-25) will visit Sri Lanka for four-day games. The squad will be selected based on performance in the intra-COE tournament,” added the source. India’s woes in Tests, particularly their declining effectiveness against spin even at home, have been a key driver of this overhaul since Gambhir took charge. The new system is designed to address these gaps through consistent exposure to longer format cricket. 25 under-23 players will be selected for selection by a junior panel led by S Sharath. A further 25 players across the U-23 and U-25 categories will be selected by the senior selection committee based on their performances in domestic tournaments such as the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with the condition that these players will not have been part of the IPL. The remaining 14 spots will go to IPL players, including Mahatre, Suryavanshi and Sameer Rizvi, who complete the 64-man pool. “The idea is to pick 25 after the intra-COE tourney, and this core group of cricketers will represent both Emerging and India A in the shadow tours. The management of the BCCI brass and Team India is very clear — even for the Under-19s, the focus should be on the red ball for the next one year,” the source said.
