Gautam Gambhir likely to travel with India A squad ahead of England Test series; Here's why
Following the Champions Trophy win, coach Gautam Gambhir is now focusing on the upcoming Test tour of England.
FollowFollowing India’s Champions Trophy triumph, head coach Gautam Gambhir has begun shifting his focus towards red-ball cricket, keeping in mind the Test tour of England, scheduled to take place in the month of June-July.
The India Test tour of England, which will take place after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, is a crucial assignment for Gambhir following Champions Trophy triumph, given that India has not won a Test series in England since 2007, and the head coach will look to build a squad capable of handing challenging conditions.
After taking over coaching duties with Team India, Gautam Gambhir did not find much success in Test cricket as his side suffered a Test series whitewash at home against New Zealand, followed by Test series defeat against Australia in Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Moreover, Gautam Gambhir received criticism for a few calls in the selection ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025, especially backing KL Rahul as a first-choice wicketkeeper over Rishabh Pant and inclusion of Harshit Rana. His selection calls were justified when Team India clinched the Champions Trophy triumph under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, ending their 12-year title drought in the tournament.
Gambhir to travel to England with India A squad
With a crucial national assignment coming up in June, Gautam Gambhir wants to travel with India A squad for unofficial Test matches against England Lions ahead of the Test series. As per the report by Times of India, the BCCI source said that Gambhir had the discussion with BCCI after the Australia Test tour to travel with India A squad to England to get a clearer picture of reserve players.
“Gambhir has been in discussions with the BCCI since he returned from Australia. He has expressed his desire to travel with the India 'A' team to get a clearer view of the reserve pool," the source close to the BCCI told TOI.
India squad selection for the Test series against England after the IPL 2025. However, there is likely to be a few changes in the squad. However, there is an uncertainty over Rohit Sharma’s future in Test cricket following the disastrous Test tour of Australia, amassing just 31 runs at an average of 6.2 in five innings. Ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025, Rohit Sharma was asked to communicate his future plans after the tournament, as BCCI selectors are looking for long-term captains in Tests and ODIs.
Gautam Gambhir wants more India A tours
The India A tour was the concept laid out by former head coach Rahul Dravid, which later became a norm before every Test series. Ahead of the Test series against Australia, India A played two unofficial Test matches against Australia A in Mackay and Melbourne.
The report suggested that Gautam Gambhir had discussions with BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and NCA head coach VVS Laxman in order to boost the India Test squad by reviving India A tours.
“One of the crucial issues identified is reviving India 'A' tours. There have been only a handful 'A' series after Dravid left NCA and all of those were shadow tours for a marquee series.” the source said.
“Gambhir too believes that there needs to be more 'A' tours. That's why he wants to take stock of the situation firsthand," the source added.
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