BCCI to take decision on senior players after Australia Tests
What's the story
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly going to take a massive call on senior players, after the upcoming five-match Test series against Australia.
The decision comes after India's recent 0-3 loss to New Zealand at home, a result that has forced serious discussions within the BCCI about the future of Indian cricket.
The players in consideration are Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Phaseout strategy
BCCI's phaseout policy and players' performance
The BCCI is working on a structured phaseout policy for a few senior players, to be implemented before the next ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle kicks off.
The strategy has been devised after India's dismal performance against New Zealand.
A senior BCCI source told PTI , "If India doesn't qualify for WTC final in England, one can be rest assured that all four super seniors won't be on that flight to UK for the ensuing five-Test series."
Future prospects
BCCI's plans for future of Indian cricket
Reportedly, the BCCI is also keen to avoid a 2011-like scenario when an aging team was found underperforming.
To avoid this, selectors and coaches will have to discuss future plans with senior cricketers.
If India fail to qualify for the WTC final after the Australia series, the selection committee may start focusing on long-term prospects and give opportunities to emerging players like Sai Sudharsan and Devdutt Padikkal.
Player statistics
Performance analysis of Rohit and Kohli
After struggling versus Bangladesh in the series at home, Rohit's poor form continued against the Kiwis.
He scored 2, 52, 0, 8, 18 and 11.
On the other hand, Kohli struggled big time, posting scores worth 0, 70, 1, 17, 4 and 1.
Rohit's recent form has been inconsistent with six scores of less than 10 runs and two scores of less than 20 in his last 10 innings.
Words
BCCI will take stocks of the situation
An informal discussion could take place about the way forward for an ageing team.
"Stocks will be taken certainly and it could be of informal nature since the team leaves for Australia on November 10. But this has been a huge debacle but, with Australia series round the corner and the squad already announced, there won't be any tinkering," a senior BCCI source told PTI on the condition of anonymity.