table of contents
BCCI has taken a big step to shape the future of India’s Test team. The BCCI has launched a special red-ball tournament where some of the best young domestic cricketers will get a chance to showcase their talent and become a part of India’s long-term plans in Test cricket.
This tournament is a great opportunity for young players who have performed well in age-group and domestic cricket. The national selectors will be keeping a close eye on each match and good performances could help these players move one step closer to playing Test cricket for India.
BCCI launches special red-ball tournament to build India’s Test future
The Indian cricket board has launched a special tournament to boost its Test bench strength after recent struggles on home soil, reports Times of India. BCCI’s Emerging Men’s Tournament will be played from July 4 to July 26 at the Center of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Four teams will participate in the competition and each team will play three matches. All matches will be of four days so that players can prove themselves in red-ball cricket. The tournament will feature under-25 cricketers who have already represented India at the junior level and impressed in domestic cricket.
Uday Saharan, Smaran Ravichandran, Yash Dhull and Himteja were made captains.
BCCI has also selected four young captains to lead the teams. India’s Under-19 World Cup 2024 captain Uday Saharan has been made the captain of Team A. After his impressive performance, he was also made the captain of Punjab in 2025.
Former India batsman Wasim Jaffer has been appointed as the mentor of the team, while Saurasish Lahiri will be the assistant coach. Team B will be led by Karnataka batsman Smaran Ravichandran. Meanwhile, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is unhappy at Manchester Nets as Gautam Gambhir is facing the heat.
He has been performing regularly in domestic cricket for the last two years and is currently playing in the Maharaja Trophy 2026. Former Indian spinner Ramesh Powar will be the head coach of Team B, and Anshu Jain will be the assistant coach.
Debashish Mohanty got a big role!
Team C will be captained by Delhi’s Yash Dhul. The 23-year-old player led India to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2022 and is now eyeing a place in the senior Indian team. Himteja K has been made the captain of Team D.
Former India fast bowler Debashish Mohanty will be the head coach of Team D, while Vineet Indulkar has been appointed assistant coach. The main objective of this tournament is to find talented youngsters who can play Test cricket for India in the future. The BCCI hopes that the competition will help identify the next generation of red-ball stars.
BCCI breaks silence on delay in Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s India debut
Meanwhile, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is still waiting to make his India debut after being ruled out of both the T20Is against Ireland and the first T20I against England.
The decision was criticized by fans and former cricketers, but BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla defended the team management.
“We also believe that he is a very talented player and he demonstrated it during the IPL. I have seen many comments against the team management and coaches, but I want to make it clear that the final decision will be taken by the coach and captain,” Shukla was quoted as saying by Times Now ahead of the second T20 match.
They are looking at the situation and whenever the right opportunity comes, they will definitely give him a chance. Therefore, such decisions should be left to the discretion of the team management. I don’t know why such unnecessary comments are being made about this.”
