Vaibhav Sooryavanshi expected to play vital role in BCCI’s make-or-break red-ball mission

India’s victory in the T20 World Cup earlier this year did not hide the growing problems in the longest format. While the team’s results in limited-overs cricket have improved under the head coach, the team’s Test results have declined significantly Gautam Gambhirthe red ball setting is still a problem. Defeats at home to New Zealand and South Africa highlighted that India are no longer invincible on their own terms, with their World Test Championship final hopes now looking increasingly unlikely. Recognizing the issue, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has taken action to restructure its long-term Test structure. The Center of Excellence led by VVS Laxman has launched a detailed plan to rebuild India’s red-ball depth by focusing on the next generation, PTI reported. Central to the strategy are four-day intra-CoE competitions scheduled for June and July. Talented players like Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will participate in the tournament, which will include 64 players under the age of 25. The players will be divided into four teams of 16 each, with each team playing two multi-day games on different venues to simulate different game scenarios. The idea is to build a stable pipeline of red-ball players who can serve India for the next decade. As part of this shift, coaches and selectors have been instructed to make red-ball development a priority at the high-performance camp in Bengaluru over the coming year. “The India emerging squad will consist of only U-25 players who will also form the India A team for the shadow tour. The roadmap will be developed with the involvement of senior chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir,” BCCI sources told PTI. “After the IPL, both the India U-19 and emerging teams (U-25) will travel to Sri Lanka for a four-day tournament. The teams will be selected based on their performance within the COE,” the source added. India’s difficulties in Tests, particularly their declining effectiveness against spin at home, have been a key trigger for the revamp since Gambhir took charge. The new system aims to address these gaps through continued exposure to longer format cricket. The youth panel led by S Sharath will select 25 U-23 players. Another 25 players, covering U-23 and U-25 categories, will be selected by the senior selection committee based on performance in domestic tournaments such as Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, with the proviso that these players must not have played in the IPL. The remaining 14 seats will be awarded to players who have played in the IPL, including Mhatre, Sooryavanshi and Sameer Rizvi, completing the 64-player roster. “The idea is to select 25 cricketers after the COE intra-tournament and this core group of cricketers will represent the emerging teams and the India A team in the shadow tour. The BCCI top brass and the India team management are very clear – even for the U-19 team, the focus has to be on the red ball next year,” sources said.