Exclusive: Gautam Gambhir to travel with India 'A' to England

The move comes when the Indian senior team is questioned after a series of poor performances in the format. Gambhir, the person who was appointed the head coach in the middle of 2024, wants to see first if the new players are ready to handle the English weather, which is known for its swing and seam-friendly pitches. The move is an indication of a long-term plan to augment the Indian Test team, especially when the star players are being scrutinized after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy loss to Australia earlier this year. 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not made an official announcement of the exact dates of the journey of Gambhir, but the sources say his presence will assure a smooth transition of ideas between the 'A' and senior teams.

Rohit Sharma’s recent test series performance under scrutiny
 

The Indian cricket captain, Rohit Sharma, has not really been at his best in Test matches for quite some time now.

In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series played in the 2024-25 season against Australia, he was able to score a total of only 31 runs across five innings with a sad average of 6.2. This was the lowest score made by any tour captain in Australia, now that is a real low talk. Also, back then, at home with New Zealand, his performance wasn't so good either, India had been swept out with 0-3 and there was Rohit with just 91 runs in six innings and a mere average of 15.16 only.

His agony, actually, started with the Bangladesh series at the beginning of the 2024-2025 season. From September 2024, he accumulated 42 runs in 4 innings, with an average of merely 10.50. When Rohit decided not to play the fifth Test in Sydney and thereafter quit the captaincy to Jasprit Bumrah, some individuals started thinking if he would continue in Test cricket but he has refuted those rumors.

Now as the England tour is beckoning, it will be Rohit's task to prove himself as fit as ever. Gambhir is traveling with the 'A' team, so it means he would like to see a team that is stronger and has a greater number of players who are more durable as well.