In a high-stakes meeting held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Saturday, January 12, the Indian cricket team's performance came under intense scrutiny after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 debacle.
The meeting was attended by 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 is now mandatory for India's senior players, BCCI says
According to a Dainik Jagran report, after reviewing India's recent performances, especially against Australia and New Zealand, the BCCI has issued a no-nonsense directive, forcing senior players to participate in domestic cricket to improve their performance and remain fit for match. .
The BCCI is tightening its grip on centrally contracted players by allowing them to skip domestic cricket matches only under strict conditions. Players seeking exemption must provide a detailed report from the physical doctor and approval from both Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar.
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The report says the BCCI will only give the go-ahead 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 surveillance for poor form and absence from domestic Cricket
Meanwhile, the high-profile encounter also addressed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's performance issues on Saturday. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's disappointing tour in Australia has raised serious question marks over their form and future in the Indian Test team.
Rohit managed just 31 runs in five innings and bowed out of the final Test in Sydney due to a poor performance, while Kohli scored a century in Perth but struggled overall, amassing just 190 in nine innings , often falling to off-stump deliveries in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Adding to the concerns is their prolonged absence from domestic cricket. Rohit last played a Ranji Trophy match in 2015, while Kohli's last appearance was in 2012. This gap was reportedly a key topic during the BCCI's review meeting in Mumbai, where they were discussed their poor form and lack of internal training.
According to the report in Dainik Jagran, this gap was also discussed during the BCCI 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 rife that Rohit and Kohli will make the squad for the much-anticipated tour of Great Britain. Given their recent performances, the future of India's biggest cricketing icons is under threat.
On the other hand, Gautam Gambhir's coaching stint with Team India started on a rough note. Team India lost the ODI series against Sri Lanka, faced a crushing Test 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 place in the World Test Championship (WTC) final for the first time. With these results, BCCI demands immediate solutions from Gambhir, selectors and team management to get India back on track.