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After calls for an overhaul and change in approach, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally made up its mind to appoint an entirely new management for T20Is. As India’s focus shifts to ODIs and Tests with the World Test Championship Final and the ODI World Cup around the corner, the Indian cricket board wants to work on the T20 setup in the background.
While Hardik Pandya is being touted to take over the captaincy reins from Rohit Sharma, BCCI has not yet zeroed upon a name as Rahul Dravid’s replacement. But a change in management is certain and will most probably take place before India’s series against Sri Lanka in January.
“We are seriously mulling on it. More than it being Rahul Dravid or anyone’s ability, it is a question of managing tight schedules & having specialized skills on board. T20 now is like a separate sport, tough calendar & regular events. We also need to imbibe change. Yes, I can confirm – India soon will have a new T20 coaching setup,” a top BCCI official was quoted saying by InsideSport.
“We are not sure by when, but we are certain about India needs a fresh approach to T20 setup. We will have an announcement of a new captain before January. And a new coach can follow, but as I said nothing is final.”
Notably, a lot of criticism was drawn when India lost to England by ten wickets in the T20 World Cup semifinal. The fans started demanding the sacking of Rohit Sharma while cricket experts suggested a change in management. The likes of Harbhajan Singh and Ravi Shastri batted for a new setup with fresh faces in the camp. Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar suggested a few players step aside to make way for the younger players.
BCCI also has a similar plan as the Indian cricket board has decided to phase out some of the senior members. The first few names on the list include captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Mohammed Shami, R. Ashwin, and Dinesh Karthik will also be missing out on the future T20Is.
“The new selection committee gets appointed in December. They are the ones who will take all formal decisions about the Indian squad. But it is certain that we need to move on from a few names. Rohit and Virat have already been spoken to. They are on the same page with the BCCI,” the report quoted a BCCI official.