BCCI Plans a Special Camp for Rohit Sharma & Co.
Wins and losses are a part and parcel of an athlete’s sporting journey. But some losses feel immensely personal. The irreplaceable position that cricket as a sport occupies in our country does not need words to describe it. In a population of 140 crores, the passion to see their favorite cricketers perform is shared and equally high.
After India’s devastating defeat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series 2024-25, which saw the team’s exclusion from the World Test Championship final, the BBCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has apparently decided to sway things reversely in the red-ball cricket zone.
The board has reportedly planned to devise a packed schedule for the Indian players to prepare them well in advance for the upcoming tour of England from the new WTC cycle slated to begin in June. India A squad players who will be a part of the England test contingent will be bracing themselves to juggle between red ball practice and white ball performance in the IPL simultaneously. Post IPL’s completion in May final week, the Indian team will fly out to England for a five-match Test series in June-July.
Ever since our team’s public debacle in the hugely followed BGT, the boarded spearheaded by Roger Binny introduced a mandate for every cricketer who was a part of the Contract List to play domestic cricket without any excuses. As a result, world class players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli also had to return and be involved in the Ranji Trophy scene after a hiatus of almost a decade.
India’s trend of losing a Test series after the IPL didn’t go unnoticed by the BCCI, which happened with the India-England test series. Taking the loss ratio higher, India’s recent performances in Tests with a 0-3 defeat against New Zealand and the pain with a 1-3 loss to Australia in BGT have created a deep impact on the BCCI, players and audiences.
The IPL 2025 onslaught commences from March 22 and ends after a two-month course around May 25 in all probability. Soon after, the first Test against England will begin from June 20, so the preparation time in the interim period is not suffice solely.
As per a Cricbuzz report, the plan was devised amidst the ICC Champions Trophy tournament being held currently in Dubai and Pakistan. It states that the identified players for the England Test series will be asked to join the Indian camp for occasional red-ball practice sessions surrounding fitness, mental conditioning, test cricket specific masterclasses and even involve some unconventional activities.
More meetings on the same are expected to firm up after the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy. The roadmap ahead has been kept under wraps momentarily and will be shared with the concerned players at the right time. Well, as a big-time cricket lover, I only hope things turn around for the men in blue in the Test cricket domain and they bounce back stronger than ever to reclaim the slowly depleting glory.
