Treasurer Prabhtej Singh Bhatia: India’s T20I captain Shreyas Iyer, Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill, national head coach Gautam Gambhir, and Centre of Excellence (CoE) chief VVS Laxman arrived here at BCCI Headquarters on Thursday for the critical review meeting.
They are joined by top BCCI officials: President Mithun Manhas, Secretary Devajit Saikia, Treasurer Prabhtej Singh Bhatia, and interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hemang Amin. The long-pending review meeting was initially scheduled for July to address India’s T20I series defeats in England and Ireland, as well as the ODI series loss to England.
However, it was postponed due to the T20I tour of Zimbabwe and the Test series in Sri Lanka, where India registered 3-0 and 1-0 victories, respectively. Sources familiar with the agenda for Thursday's meeting told IANS that discussions will primarily focus on evaluating the senior men’s team's recent performances, examining key takeaways, and identifying areas for improvement.
"The meeting will also focus on managing ongoing injury concerns involving key players, such as Hardik Pandya, while mapping out future plans for major assignments, including the multi-format tour of New Zealand, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at home, and the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup," a source said.
Fitness concerns within the senior men’s squad were evident during Tuesday’s squad announcement for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, scheduled to take place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi from September 13 to 17, as Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Harshit Rana have all been selected provisionally, with their inclusion subject to fitness clearance.
"The meeting will also focus on managing ongoing injury concerns involving key players, such as Hardik Pandya, while mapping out future plans for major assignments, including the multi-format tour of New Zealand, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at home, and the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup," a source said.
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Although Pandya is considered a central figure in India's plans for the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup, recurring injury setbacks, the latest being a blow to the shin, have raised questions over his long-term utility as a seam-bowling all-rounder in 50-over cricket.