India captain Rohit Sharma and coach Gautam Gambhir’s future in the Indian team setup will be decided by new BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia in the next SGM. This comes after India’s recent performance in Test cricket. The team lost six Tests and won one in the last 8 encounters and failed to qualify for the WTC 2025 final.
The Indian cricket team’s 1-3 loss came after New Zealand’s whitewash in a three-match Test series at home, marking one of India’s worst phases since 2011-12, when they lost eight of 11 Tests—four in England and four in Australia—and lost VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid.
This time, Ravichandran Ashwin has already retired during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, and additional departures are expected following the 3-1 Test series defeat to Australia.
There is also speculation about Rohit Sharma’s future in Test cricket. While Rohit refuted retirement rumors, his poor record and absence from the Sydney Test indicate otherwise.
BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar to make final decision on Rohit Sharma’s Test career
With India’s failure to qualify for the WTC 2025 final, Rohit Sharma will be a central figure in the next SGM on Sunday, January 12. As per reports, Rohit Sharma will have to fight to restore his spot or step down from the Test team, but all eyes are on head selector Ajit Agarkar and his committee to make the decision.
“Rohit was waiting to see if India could find an escape route to the WTC final. Now, it’s really up to him whether to continue to fight for a spot. But the decision will be down to Ajit Agarkar and his selection committee,” a BCCI official told Hindustan Times.
The Indian cricket squad committed numerous tactical errors against Australia, including playing Harshit Rana over Prasidh Krishna and selecting two spinners on a pace-friendly Sydney pitch rather than adding an extra pacer in the final Test. Rohit Sharma and his team management are under intense criticism for their decisions.
Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India’s coach might be cut short
Even before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, some Indian selectors purportedly stated that they had “no role” in the pitch selection for the New Zealand Test series. This called Gautam Gambhir’s status as India’s head coach into question, as several of his white-ball plans have failed to transition into Test success.
Furthermore, India’s adventure under Gautam Gambhir’s guidance began with an ODI series defeat in Sri Lanka, which added to the burden. The forthcoming ODI series at home against England, followed by the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in February-March, will be critical to Gambhir’s term.
The official questioned Gambhir’s choice of having rank turners for home series in India and failing to deliver against New Zealand. The 0-3 series loss severely hurt India’s chances for WTC final qualification.
The board official said, “It’s not just the tour of Australia. The decision to go for rank turners at home and then failing to deliver was the first blow that pushed India back in the race to the WTC finals.”