India’s growing red-ball concerns have triggered a structural reset, with the next generation of cricketers now being fast-tracked into a system designed specifically to rebuild the country’s Test depth.
According to a report by PTI, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is preparing to launch a four-day intra-Centre of Excellence (CoE) tournament immediately after the IPL, placing emerging names such as Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi at the centre of a long-term red-ball roadmap.
Red-ball reset drives new talent pipeline
The initiative follows a period of introspection around India’s performances in the longest format, particularly after a string of setbacks that exposed gaps in depth and adaptability. In response, the CoE in Bengaluru, led by VVS Laxman, has shifted its developmental focus almost entirely toward red-ball cricket for the upcoming cycle.
A 64-player pool, comprising cricketers under the age of 25, will form the backbone of the project. These players will be divided into four squads of 16, each competing in two four-day matches across varying pitch conditions to simulate the demands of Test cricket.
The selection pool will blend performers from multiple pathways — including age-group cricket, domestic red-ball competitions, and standout young players already exposed to the IPL environment — creating a unified system designed to identify and prepare future Test specialists.
Selection structure blends pathways and performance
The composition of the 64-player group reflects a layered approach to talent identification. A significant portion will be drawn from top performers in junior red-ball tournaments such as the Cooch Behar Trophy (U-19) and CK Nayudu Trophy (U-22), while another segment will feature domestic standouts from competitions like the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
In addition, a select group of emerging IPL players — including Mhatre and Sooryavanshi — will complete the pool, ensuring that high-potential talent is not excluded from the red-ball pathway despite their involvement in franchise cricket.
The performances in this tournament will directly influence future selections, forming a critical filter for progression into higher representative levels.
Clear pathway to India A and Emerging teams
The long-term structure is designed to create alignment across all development tiers, with the intra-CoE tournament acting as the central evaluation platform.
A BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity, “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, head coach Gautam Gambhir in loop.”
He added, “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 is pretty clear — even for U-19s, the focus for next one year has to be red ball.”
This integrated structure ensures that a consistent group of players is tracked and developed across formats and tours, reducing fragmentation in the pathway to the senior Test side.
Overseas exposure to complement domestic push
Beyond domestic competition, the roadmap also includes immediate international exposure designed to accelerate development in challenging conditions.
The same source noted, “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.”
These tours are expected to provide critical experience in longer formats, particularly in conditions that demand technical adaptability — a key area identified for improvement in India’s recent Test performances.
