IND vs SA: BCCI Changes India Head Coach after New Zealand series loss

Former Team India cricketer VVS Laxman is likely to be the head coach for the national cricket team during the upcoming white-ball tour of South Africa. VVS Laxman will replace the current national coach, Gautam Gambhir, who is heading to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series.

The India national cricket team will take on South Africa in four T20Is from November 8 to 18. They will play matches in Durban, Gqeberha, Centurion, and Johannesburg, respectively. The team is set to depart for South Africa around November 4, while the Test squad leaves for Australia on November 10-11.

VVS Laxman To Lead Team India Coaching Staff In South Africa

As per a report by Cricbuzz, a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official confirmed that the four-match T20I series against South Africa was not part of the initial schedule. VVS Laxman will lead the coaching staff, including Sairaj Bahutule, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Subhadeep Ghosh.

VVS Laxman has taken on the role of head coach for the Indian cricket team during Rahul Dravid's time as coach. Notably, he was in charge during India's tour of Zimbabwe, where the Shubman Gill-led team secured a 4-1 series victory. Gautam was appointed as head coach after the Zimbabwe tour.

Laxman’s assistants at the National Cricket Academy, Sairaj Bahutule, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, and Subhadeep Ghosh, recently coached the India Emerging team at the Asia Emerging Cup in Oman. Sitanshu Kotak and Mazhar Moidu are with the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led India A team on their tour of Australia.

There's A Needless Four-Match T20I Series - Sunil Gavaskar

Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has criticized the BCCI for planning a four-match T20I series in South Africa during the Ranji Trophy season. In his column for SportStar, the former cricketer said that the T20I series is unnecessary, especially with an India A team also touring Australia.

"Next month, there's a needless four-match T20 series in South Africa before the tour to Australia. There will also be an 'A' team touring Australia next month, so effectively about 50 to 60 players will not be available for their State teams in the premier national tournament, the Ranji Trophy," the former India skipper wrote in Sportstar.

The BCCI announced a 15-member squad led by Suryakumar Yadav for the four T20Is on October 25. One positive aspect of this tour is that it comes before the IPL auction, giving franchises a chance to gauge which players might be in high demand based on their performance in the upcoming matches.

India squad for T20I series vs South Africa:

Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ramandeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Yash Dayal.

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