Indian team lost T20I series to Ireland and England on their recent tour of UK.
This has been done to discuss the future roadmap for the Indian team and analyse the poor away performance of the Men in Blue in recent times. This includes the T20I series losses to Ireland and England.
India's two-match T20I series in Ireland concluded in a 2-0 loss in June, ending the reigning T20 World Cup champions' nearly three-year run of 16 unbeaten series.
The subsequent visit of England was even worse: India lost the five-match T20I series 4-0, with a 125-run loss in Nottingham among the low points. However, they managed to salvage some pride in the ODIs, winning the first match in Birmingham but ultimately losing that series 2-1 as well.
The BCCI wants all stakeholders on one page ahead of India’s tour of New Zealand, where they will play two Tests, five T20Is and five ODIs.
Another matter of concern for BCCI is the Indian players’ unavailability due to injuries. The BCCI and the Center of Excellence (CoE) have copped a lot of criticism recently as major players have broken down ahead of or during important series or tours. Many reports stated that many players lack confidence in the CoE, and a communication gap is evident between players, the CoE, and the selection committee.
Recently, pace leader Jasprit Bumrah's fitness for a tour was not communicated to the selection committee. Sai Sudharsan's recuperation was longer than anticipated, and Washington Sundar was also ruled out.
The meeting will also explore how IPL workload impacts player fitness; team management has already raised concerns with the BCCI about not having players available at full strength.
Even the recent India squad for Afghanistan T20Is shows four players being included with their availability subject to fitness. Bumrah, Washington, Nitish Reddy and Harshit Rana are set to undergo fitness tests on September 9.
Hardik Pandya's recovery and fitness will also be discussed by the BCCI and team management. Although he can presently only bowl five or six overs in an ODI, the selection committee wants him to be available for the 2027 World Cup.
(Indian Express report)