The Gautam Gambhir-led coaching staff might be rested for the Zimbabwe tour.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly weighing options for the Zimbabwe tour due to a tight schedule between the England ODIs and Zimbabwe T20Is.
India’s ongoing white-ball series against England concludes on July 19, while the Zimbabwe series is slated to kick off on July 23.
According to TOI, the board may send coaches from the Center of Excellence (CoE) instead of the Gautam Gambhir-led staff, similar to past rotations where a secondary team travels with a different coaching setup.
A full-strength 15-member Indian men's Squad, led by Shreyas Iyer, for the 2026 Asian Games was announced last month. However, last-minute alterations are highly probable.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to approach the relevant authorities with the request, if it has not already done so. The rules permit them to do so, and exceptions can be made to even accommodate a player not part of the initial long list,” the TOI report stated.
Meanwhile, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee on Monday (July 6) announced India's squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, starting July 23 in Harare.
Sanju Samson’s omission headlined the 15-member squad, featuring quite a few fresh faces including Prabhsimran Singh, Ashok Sharma, Harsh Dubey, and Yash Thakur.
Samson’s snub triggered outrage as he was the Player-of-the-Tournament in India’s triumphant T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year.
The exclusion came days after Samson was dropped from India’s playing XI for the second T20I against England at Old Trafford. The wicketkeeper-batter was replaced by teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the lineup.
While Samson was named in India’s Asian Games squad last month, it will be interesting to see if he retains his place after supposed last-minute changes to the side.
(With TOI Inputs)