Vaibhav Suryavanshi nominated for a key role in BCCI’s make or break red ball mission | Cricket News –

India’s T20 World Cup win earlier this year did little to hide the growing problem in the longer format. The Test team’s performance has declined significantly, and although results in limited-overs cricket have improved under coach Gautam Gambhir, the red-ball setup remains a concern. Home losses to New Zealand and South Africa have confirmed that India are no longer invincible in their own circumstances, with their World Test Championship finals hopes now looking increasingly unlikely.Recognizing this problem, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has moved to reset the long-term Test structure. According to PTI, the Center of Excellence, headed by VVS Laxman, has drawn up a detailed plan to rebuild India’s red-ball depth by focusing on the next generation.

Central to this strategy is a four-day competition within the Centers of Excellence scheduled to be held during the months of June and July. Talents like Aayush Mahatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi are set to feature in the tournament, which will feature 64 players under the age of 25.

These players will be divided into four teams of 16 players, with each team playing two multi-day matches on a variety of surfaces to simulate different match scenarios.The idea is to build a consistent string of red-ball players who can serve India over the next decade. As part of this shift, coaches and selectors have been directed to make red-ball development a priority in high-performance camps in Bengaluru over the coming year.

“The junior India squad will consist of only U-25 players and they will also form India ‘A’ teams for the shadow tours as well. A roadmap will be created to keep chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir updated,” a BCCI source told PTI.“Once the Indian Premier League is over, both India Under-19 and Junior (Under-25) teams will tour Sri Lanka for four-day matches. The team will be selected based on their Intra-COE tournament performance,” the source added.India’s difficulties in Tests, especially their declining effectiveness against spin even at home, has been a major driver of this overhaul since Gambhir took over. The new system is designed to address these gaps through sustained exposure to longer format cricket.For selection, 25 under-23 players will be selected by the junior committee led by S Sharath. Another 25 players, from the Under-23 and Under-25 categories, will be selected by the senior selection committee based on performances in domestic tournaments like Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, provided these players are not part of the Indian Premier League.The remaining 14 spots will go to players who have featured in the Indian Premier League, including Mhatre, Sooryavanshi and Sameer Rizvi, to complete the 64-player pool.

“The idea is to select 25 players after the inter-tournament, and this core group of cricketers will represent both juniors and India A in the shadow tours. The BCCI and Team India management are very clear – even for the U-19s, the focus for next year should be on the red ball,” the source said.