Indian cricket’s power brokers will gather in Mumbai on Thursday, and for once, the room will be as big a story as anything happening on the field.
There is no formal agenda on paper. There doesn’t need to be. The recent slide in India’s white-ball fortunes – bruising tours of Ireland and England, a T20I side that failed to win any of the six completed games despite being reigning T20 World Cup champions – has forced the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to act on its promise of a review.
Big names, bigger questions
Head coach Gautam Gambhir, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and Centre of Excellence (CoE) head VVS Laxman will all be at the table. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia will convene and preside over the discussions in person.
Late on Tuesday, another key name was added. Shubman Gill, captain of the Test and ODI sides, has been invited and will attend in person. Those close to the set-up indicate he views this as more than a courtesy call; he wants a direct hand in shaping the roadmap, and he intends to put his own feedback on the recent tours on the table.
Shreyas Iyer, the T20I skipper, is also set to be involved. The only uncertainty is whether he walks into the room or dials in, but his voice will be heard.
The central theme is clear: what went wrong in Ireland and England, and why did a world champion T20 side look so flat, so quickly? Back in July, with the England white-ball series still in progress, Saikia had tried to steady the narrative, calling it “a purely bad phase” and stressing that such dips “can happen in international cricket.” Thursday’s meeting is where that bad phase gets dissected.
Rohit, the fault line
Hovering over all of this is the unresolved question of Rohit Sharma’s future.
Reports suggested the selectors did not see him as part of the 2027 ODI World Cup plans and that the Lord’s ODI would be his last in the format. The BCCI moved swiftly to deny that version, signalling a clear disconnect somewhere in the chain.
That fault line cannot stay buried in a room that includes Gambhir, Agarkar, Laxman and the board’s top administrator. Clarity on Rohit’s role – or lack of it – in the long-term one-day picture is expected to be one of the most closely watched outcomes of the day.
Planning beyond the storm
The conversation will not be limited to recent scars. India face a demanding away tour of New Zealand, a full multi-format assignment: five T20Is, five ODIs and two Tests. Selection strategy, workload management and format-specific planning will all come under the scanner as the team prepares for conditions that have historically tested Indian sides.
On a wider horizon sits the 2027 ODI World Cup. That tournament, and India’s current position in the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, will frame the long-term lens of the meeting. The board and think tank are expected to examine what administrative or structural tweaks are needed to keep India competitive across formats while avoiding burnout.
Agarkar, Laxman and the shadow of change
There is another layer to the gathering, one that has simmered quietly in the background.
Speculation has grown around Ajit Agarkar’s future as chief selector and whether VVS Laxman might be asked to take on a more expansive role with the national side. None of the three parties – the BCCI, Agarkar or Laxman – has gone on record about any change. The silence has only fuelled curiosity.
Thursday’s meeting may not produce dramatic announcements, but it is likely to offer the first real hints about how secure the current selection structure is, and how central Laxman could become to India’s broader cricketing project.
For now, the stage is set in Mumbai: a champion team in a slump, a captain eager to shape the future, a legend’s horizon under debate, and a board under pressure to prove that this is only a bad phase – not the start of something more troubling.
