It could appear at first glance that the recent meeting between Team India head coach Rahul Dravid and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah in Miami was nothing out of the ordinary. But there’s more to this offshore meeting than first appears. Before the two Twenty20 Internationals against the West Indies on August 12 and 13 in Lauderhill, Florida, this meeting took place.
The meeting, which apparently lasted close to two hours and took place at the hotel where the BCCI secretary was staying, wasn’t just a routine affair. Dravid took the effort to drive down and meet the BCCI president even though the Indian squad was lodged at the Marriott in Miami. The timing of this meeting coincides with Shah’s private tour to the US; on August 13, he was even seen by television cameras during the fifth and final T20I.
Although it might seem like a typical event, this meeting’s importance shouldn’t be understated. It comes just before the Indian team’s two most important tasks, the Asia Cup and the World Cup. Even while it’s obvious that these important events were planned in some way during this meeting, the specifics are still unknown. There is also the lingering concern about whether the coaching staff will expand. There is currently no information on anyone signing up for the Asia Cup training camp, which will begin on August 24 in Alur, Bengaluru.
It’s important to note that this encounter will take place against the backdrop of the Indian team’s lackluster performance, which has drawn harsh criticism in light of previous outcomes. Shah has made it very apparent that the BCCI is determined to win the World Cup it is hosting.
Numerous experts have expressed their disapproval of how the team manages its players and games, focussing in particular on the performance of the Indian batting order. For instance, Parthiv Patel opined on Cricbuzz that having a different coach for the T20Is might be advantageous for Team India. A former India pacer and bowling coach named Venkatesh Prasad also expressed his extreme dissatisfaction with Dravid’s leadership, citing the team’s subpar performances and lack of zeal and drive. He emphasized the need to put development ahead of favoritism and avoid becoming complacent.
The date on which the Asia Cup team will be decided is still unknown to the selection committee. The selection procedure is anticipated to happen soon now that Dravid and his colleagues are back in India. According to some sources, the decision could be made during the first Twenty20I in Ireland, when Jasprit Bumrah is scheduled to make his nearly 11-month comeback.
There hasn’t been any formal word from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) managers to the selectors on KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, who recently took part in a warm-up game there. It’s not meant to indicate that either player hasn’t attained match fitness, but the NCA hasn’t given its official sanction yet. Before the selection meeting, the NCA is supposed to notify both the BCCI and the selectors.