In a significant development for Indian cricket, VVS Laxman is poised to assume the role of head coach for the Indian cricket team during their upcoming short-format white-ball tour of South Africa. Laxman’s appointment comes as the incumbent national coach, Gautam Gambhir, prepares to head to Australia to lead the team in the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This adjustment was confirmed by a senior official from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday.
The tour itself was not originally on the cricketing calendar but was recently organized as a joint effort between the BCCI and Cricket South Africa (CSA). This ad-hoc arrangement will see India compete in four Twenty20 International (T20I) matches. These fixtures are scheduled to take place in esteemed cricketing venues across South Africa, including Durban, Gqeberha, Centurion, and Johannesburg, on November 8, 10, 13, and 15 respectively. The Indian contingent is expected to depart for South Africa around November 3.
Under Laxman’s stewardship, the coaching support staff will comprise notable names from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. This includes Sairaj Bahutule, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Subhadeep Ghosh who are slated to play pivotal roles in the tour setup. Bahutule will serve as the head coach, Kanitkar will bring his expertise as the batting coach, and Ghosh will offer his insights as the fielding coach. This trio has recently earned commendations for their work with the India Emerging side that participated in the Asia Emerging Cup tournament hosted in Oman.
In parallel, Sitanshu Kotak of Saurashtra and Mazhar Moidu of Kerala, both of whom are also affiliated with the NCA, have traveled with the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led India A team currently touring Australia.
. Their involvement underscores the BCCI’s strategy of leveraging seasoned NCA talent across various levels of national representation.
In a related announcement, the BCCI unveiled a 15-member squad set to undertake the challenging South African tour and will be led by the prolific Suryakumar Yadav. This squad was announced on October 25, with a line-up that includes promising talents and seasoned campaigners, setting the stage for intense on-field rivalries in the African continent.
Despite the excitement surrounding the tour, it has not escaped criticism, particularly regarding its timing. Critics argue that scheduling the South African series amidst the ongoing domestic season disrupts local competitions, notably the Ranji Trophy. Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar articulated this sentiment in his column in Sportstar, highlighting potential effects on player availability at crucial junctures of domestic tournaments. Gavaskar pointed out the implications of removing more than 50 players from their respective state teams, acknowledging that such moves impact the overall competitiveness of domestic cricket.
Conversely, the South African tour provides an arena for players to showcase their skills, potentially influencing selections in the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. Performances during the T20Is could play a defining role in setting player valuations, thus injecting an additional layer of intrigue and anticipation ahead of the commercial IPL spectacle.
The T20I squad, featuring captain Suryakumar Yadav, will be bolstered by the talents of Abhishek Sharma, wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, another wicketkeeper in Jitesh Sharma, all-rounders like Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, as well as dynamic bowlers including Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, and Yash Dayal. This carefully curated blend of youth and experience aims to bring flair and grit to the T20 contests against South Africa.
As the Indian team readies itself for this tour, the cricketing fraternity will undoubtedly keep a keen eye on these developments, analyzing both player performances and strategic decisions with anticipation and scrutiny.