The BCCI is said to be all set to review Team India's humiliating 1-3 loss in the recently concluded five-match Test series against Australia. The loss not only ended India's long hold on the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but also prevented them from qualifying for a World Test Championship final for the first time.
India's chances of qualifying for the final are hanging by a thread after their 3-0 defeat at home to New Zealand. The Rohit Sharma-led team needed nothing less than a miracle in Australia to turn things around.
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The Indian started the tour on a good note. While Rohit Sharma missed the first Test, stand-in captain Jasprit Bumrah led the team to a famous 295-run win in Perth. However, things went downhill after Australia completely dominated Team India in their own backyard.
The hosts leveled the series by winning the second Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets. Australia were in the driver's seat in the third Test as well but rain prevented them from winning the match as it ended in a draw. The Pat Cummins-led team then won the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne to take the lead in the series for the first time.
India needed to win the fifth Test in Sydney at all costs to remain in contention for the WTC final. However, they were outdone by Australia once again as the Down Under side regained the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2014/15.
The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry discusses the fate of Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli:
After the defeat in Australia, India skipper Rohit Sharma, his predecessor Virat Kohli as well as coach Gautam Gambhir faced severe criticism. There were calls from several quarters to drop both senior batsmen from the team while Gambhir was sacked as Test coach.
Both Rohit Sharma and Kohli had a tough time in Australia as they failed to live up to expectations. In 5 Tests, Kohli has scored 190 runs, with 100 coming in the second innings of the first Test. On the other hand, the India captain played 3 Tests and managed to score just 31 runs. Both players also failed to reach the 100-run mark in the three-match Test series against New Zealand.
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However, IANS reported that the trio including head coach Gambhir will survive the disaster. Both batsmen will remain in contention to represent the country in the Champions Trophy and the five-match Test series against England in June, the report said.
“Yes, there will be a review meeting but the coach will not be sacked. Come on, you can't sack a coach because of a bad show by the batsmen in one series. Gautam Gambhir will remain the coach, Virat and Rohit will feature for England,” he said. “The focus is the Champions Cup,” BCCI sources told the media.
Earlier, Gambhir was also asked about the future of Rohit and Kohli in the team after the fifth Test in Sydney. In response, the former India opener said: “I can't speak about any player's future. It is up to them as well.”
India's next assignment is the white-ball series against England. The Men in Blue will play 5 T20Is and 3 ODIs against the England side before departing for Dubai for the Champions Trophy next month.
