Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in line for Test call-up as BCCI goes strict to fix India’s red-ball woes
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The BCCI and Indian selectors have backed Indian youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for a four-day red-ball game in an intra-CoE tournament, which will comprise 64 junior cricketers who have not starred for India previously.
India's struggles have been evident in Test cricket. India might have won the T20 World Cup, but their struggles are evident in Test cricket, and it cannot be denied. India's white-ball future is getting better; its red-ball future is very uncertain.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has performed stunningly on the Indian Youth side, has continued his peak form for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. The 15-year-old batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, though he excels in flexing his muscles, has not been known for his dependability in the longest format of the game.
India's slim run in Test cricket under Gautam Gambhir
India have struggled to perform in Test cricket in recent times. Ever since Gautam Gambhir took charge of the Indian side, India have lost its invincible form in red ball cricket. It will be an uphill task from here to reach the World Test Championship Final.
India lost two home series in red-ball cricket, one against New Zealand back in 2024 and then against South Africa in 2025. They also faced a humiliating defeat against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024-25.
However, at last, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken note of the situation, and the way to revamp their squad is finally going to begin to make the Indian side a resolute force in red-ball cricket.
Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to play in four-day Intra CoE tournament
According to the latest reports from PTI, the BCCI's CoE, under the guidance of head VVS Laxman, has chalked out an extensive plan for young cricketers like Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. They will play in four-day red ball games in an intra-CoE tournament in June and July.
The main aim is to build a supply chain to ensure India's red-ball talent for the next decade. It will feature a total of 64 cricketers, all under the age group of 25. The same PTI report stated that all coaches and national selectors have been asked to focus on most of the High-performance camps in Bengaluru.
"The India Emerging side will comprise of only U-25 players, and they will also constitute India A teams for shadow tours also. The roadmap will be created keeping senior chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir in the loop," a BCCI source told PTI.
“Once the IPL ends, India U-19 and Emerging (U-25) will both tour Sri Lanka for four-day games. The squad will be selected based on Intra-COE tournament performances,” the source added.
BCCI's plan to improve India's Test future
Though India had performed under Gautam Gambhir in England, one of the major reasons for the failure under home conditions is due to their reduced ability to tackle spin. Keeping those struggles in mind, the plan has been made to select 64 players and divide them internally into 4 teams with 16 players each.
Among these 64 players, 50 would be players who have not played in the IPL. 25 cricketers (U23) will be selected by the junior selection committee and will be headed by S. Sharath. Other than these, the other 25 cricketers will be selected by the senior selection committee, which will comprise players who have performed exceptionally in the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
The remaining 14 players comprise cricketers who have formerly featured in the IPL, including the likes of Ayush Mhatre, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, and the young Sameer Rizvi.
"The idea is to select 25 after the intra-COE tourney, and this core group of cricketers will represent both Emerging and India A in shadow tours. The BCCI brass and Team India management are pretty clear—even for U-19s, the focus for the next year has to be red ball," the source said.
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BCCI India National Cricket Team Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Ayush Mhatre Rajasthan Royals IPL VVS LaxmanAbout the Author
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