NEW DELHI: As India suffered an embarrassing 0-2 defeat at home to South Africa, TOI has learned that Test captain Shubman Gill has suggested to the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) that there should be 15-day camps before each Test series.Go beyond borders with our YouTube channel. REGISTER NOW!The BCCI held informal meetings with the selectors and the team’s management group after it was whitewashed twice in home Test series in a span of 13 months. “Gill was very clear that the team needed better preparation before embarking on a Test series. There was a problem with the itinerary this season where the team did not have much time to prepare. Gill recommended to the board that it would be ideal if there were 15-day red-ball camps before a Test series,” a BCCI source told TOI.
India started the latest home Test season 4 days after winning the Asia Cup. India faced the West Indies in a Test match on 2 October, with players arriving from Dubai on 29 September. Gill and many Test specialists reached India after a white-ball tour of Australia 4 days before the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata.TOI understands that the BCCI is willing to let Gill have more of a say in shaping the team’s plans. “Gill is now showing strong qualities. He is presenting his vision to the selectors and the BCCI with much more clarity. This bodes well for Indian cricket as there is a need for a strong captain after Rohit Sharma. The Test and ODI teams are Gill’s. It is important for him to have a say,” the BCCI source said.
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However, India’s choc-a-bloc schedule doesn’t make it easy to plan 15-day camps every time.The BCCI source said they may have to use their coaching staff and facilities at the Center of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. “There may be instances where Gambhir will be busy with white-ball teams even if a Test series is approaching. The Board may utilize the services of CoE cricket in-charge VVS Laxman to organize red-ball camps,” the source said.
