Gautam Gambhir to have no say in selection issues? - BCCI likely to take drastic step: Reports

Indian cricket’s latest series loss to New Zealand has created a new crisis. According to reports carried by PTI, the selection powers given to Gautam Gambhir are to be taken away. Recently, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) did the same after the first Test loss to England. This led to Gary Kirsten stepping down as the white-ball coach of the team. 

PTI reported that as per a source from BCCI, “Gautam Gambhir was given access which his predecessors Ravi Shastri and Rahul Dravid didn't have. The BCCI's rule book doesn't allow coaches to be a part of the selection committee meetings, but for Australia tour selection meeting, an exception was made. The head coach was allowed to attend considering the magnitude of the tour.”

On Sunday, it was seen that Ajit Agarkar was having a tense chat with Gautam Gambhir after the series loss to New Zealand. The form of a few players who would have been discussed after the disastrous showing with the bat and ball. BCCI as per reports also are thinking of planning for the next phase of Indian cricket. This means the futures of Indian cricket stars like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are uncertain. 

Irfan Pathan lashes out at Indian team after series loss 

Former Indian star Irfan Pathan was livid with the way India performed during the recent series against New Zealand. The 40-year-old wrote a tweet where he was visibly upset about senior players missing the domestic matches. 

Irfan Pathan wrote, “Had a solid conversation with (Yusuf Pathan) bhai yesterday. He made a valid point about domestic cricket – we’re either playing on grassy pitches or flat tracks, but rarely on turning surfaces anymore. Plus, top players aren’t playing domestic cricket. This could hurt us in the long run.”

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Had a solid conversation with @iamyusufpathan bhai yesterday. He made a valid point about domestic cricket – we’re either playing on grassy pitches or flat tracks, but rarely on turning surfaces anymore. Plus, top players aren’t playing domestic cricket. This could hurt us in the…

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) November 3, 2024

Some of the decisions made by Gautam Gambhir have come under scrutiny. The decision to send Mohammed Siraj to Mumbai is one such. Indian pacer was out for a first-ball duck as India lost three wickets in a space of ten minutes on the first day of the game. 

India’s inability to play spin bowling too will come under the scanner. Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santner picked 11 and 13 wickets each in Mumbai and Pune to skittle out the hosts. With the Australian tour set to begin in 18 days, there are a lot of things to be done and Gautam Gambhir will have a lot on his plate.