The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will utilise a split-coaching setup to manage an unprecedented international calendar this year.
With the England ODI series concluding on July 19 and the Zimbabwe T20Is starting on July 23, the short four-day turnaround necessitated a rest period for head coach Gautam Gambhir and his support staff.
VVS Laxman, along with Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Sunil Joshi, will reportedly step in to manage the Zimbabwe tour.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, former India batter Subramaniam Badrinath questioned the Gambhir-led coaching staff for taking time off again despite getting an extended break during the IPL 2026.
"Even Gautam Gambhir and his support staff are being rested for the Zimbabwe series with VVS Laxman taking charge. I don't understand this, considering they just rested for two months during the IPL. They were at work only for the Ireland and England series," Badrinath said.
Badrinath also criticized the Indian team management's decision to play musical chairs with the opening slots during the T20I series against England.
India started the series with Sanju Samson, but he was dropped in favor of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who struggled to find his footing against England's pace attack. Following three low scores, Sooryavanshi was benched for the fifth and final T20I, with Samson returning to the playing XI.
"They dropped Samson after three failures and got Vaibhav Suryavanshi in. Then Sooryavanshi gets the same treatment and you bring Samson back. By doing this, you've given neither Sanju nor Sooryavanshi full confidence. No one knows if Samson or Sooryavanshi is the certainty in the team. Lot of insecurity is created this way and its hard for players to perform in this environment," Badrinath stated.
"Sooryavanshi was almost in tears after being dropped for the final T20I. It was hard to look at his face. Some selections are baffling from the management. Samson is there for the Asian Games. So why is he not there just for the Zimbabwe series? It's clear the Indian team struggles without these two. This T20 team looks totally different without them," he further remarked.
While Sooryavanshi features in India’s squad for the upcoming three-T20I series against Zimbabwe, Samson has surprisingly been omitted from the side.
