Immediately following the T20 World Cup, the Indian cricket team is set to tour Zimbabwe. With Rahul Dravid’s tenure as head coach concluding after the World Cup, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been conducting interviews for his successor. Although Gautam Gambhir is a leading candidate, a final decision has yet to be made. As a result, the team might be accompanied by a temporary coach for the Zimbabwe tour.
The squad for the Zimbabwe series will be announced later this week. Young players who have impressed in the IPL and are on the BCCI’s radar are currently participating in a camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) under VVS Laxman’s supervision. The decision has been made to send a predominantly youthful team to Zimbabwe, though it will include six to seven members from the T20 World Cup squad. Promising talents such as Riyan Parag, Abhishek Sharma, and all-rounder Nitish Reddy are expected to be selected, with Yash Dayal and Harshit Rana likely to receive their first call-ups. Hardik Pandya is a potential captain for the tour, but if he opts to rest, Suryakumar Yadav—who captained the T20 side in recent home series against Australia and South Africa—might assume the leadership role.
Possible Role for Laxman
VVS Laxman is anticipated to lead the young squad to Zimbabwe, supported by a few NCA coaches. A BCCI source, speaking on the condition of anonymity to PTI, mentioned that Laxman and his team have frequently stepped in for Rahul Dravid and other coaches during their breaks throughout Dravid’s tenure.
