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The BCCI will likely look to move forward and phase out the senior stars in the Indian Test team should they fail to make it to the WTC finals for the ongoing cycle.
The BCCI could look to make big changes to the Test team should India fail to qualify for the WTC 2023-25 final. (Image: AFP)
The future of the Indian senior stars could be at risk with reports suggesting that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could look to move on and focus on building a new look Test team, should the current squad not make it to the World Test Championship final for the 2023-25 cycle.
The current Test team, led by Rohit Sharma have come under fire for their disastrous performance against New Zealand on home soil, suffering a 0-3 whitewash for the first time in Indian cricket history in the longest format.
According to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), an anonymous source from the Indian cricket board has suggested that India’s failure to make it to the WTC final for a third consecutive season could see the senior stars being dropped for the tour of England that is set to begin on January 2025.
“But if India doesn’t qualify for the WTC final in England, one can rest assured that all four super seniors won’t be on that flight to the UK for the ensuing five-Test series. In any case, all four have likely played their final Test at home together,” the source revealed.
The report also claims that an informal discussion is likely to take place between the BCCI bigwigs along with the Chairman of Selectors, Ajit Agarkar, Head Coach Gautam Gambhir and the skipper Rohit Sharma to discuss how to take the ageing team forward.
For India to make it to the WTC final for the third consecutive time, they would now have to win four and draw one Test to ensure that fate remains in their hands. The problem is that India has only five more Tests left and all of them are against Australia for the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia, set to begin later this month.
Senior stars have come under heavy scrutiny from the public regarding Rohit along with Virat Kohli for their disappointing performance at home against New Zealand. Now the senior stars will be under even more pressure than before to ensure that they get things right against the Aussies to ensure that they stand a chance at finally winning the WTC championship.
