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India head coach Gautam Gambhir faced criticism for a few calls in the selection ahead of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 but ended up justifying them as Rohit Sharma-led side won the title. However, after the success in white-ball cricket, Gambhir has shifted his focus to red-ball cricket where he hasn't had much success. After series whitewash at home at the hands of New Zealand and failing to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on Australian soil, Gambhir wants to travel with the India 'A' team to England which is a shadow tour as well ahead of the five-Test series.
"Gambhir has been in discussions with the BCCI since he returned from Australia. He has expressed his desire to travel with the India 'A' team to get a clearer view of the reserve pool," a BCCI source told TOI.
"With India winning the Champions Trophy after Gambhir's insistence for certain wild card players, one may expect him to assert more in future," the source added.
Gambhir is expected to make a few changes to the Test squad. Captain Rohit Sharma has already made it clear that he is not retiring from either ODIs or Tests. Rohit is likely to lead India in England as well.
After the series defeat in Australia and failing to make it to the WTC final for the first time, there were discussions around reviving the India 'A' tours which were a norm during Rahul Dravid's tenure as head coach. Gambhir had these discussions with chief selector Ajit Agarkar and VVS Laxman in order to bolster the Indian Test squad.
"One of the crucial issues identified is reviving India 'A' tours. There have been only a handful 'A' series after Dravid left NCA and all of those were shadow tours for a marquee series. Gambhir too believes that there needs to be more 'A' tours. That's why he wants to take stock of the situation firsthand," the source said.
India's last Test series win in England and lost opportunity in 2022
India have not won a Test series on England soil since 2007. The last time they toured England, the series ended in a 2-2 draw. In 2021, Virat Kohli-led India were leading 2-1 before the final Test was abandoned due to Covid-19 outbreak in Indian camp. In the rescheduled Test, India faced defeat in July 2022.
