Sat Jan 11 20:17:42 UTC 2025: ## India’s World Test Championship Hopes Dashed, BCCI Reviews Disappointing Australia Tour

**New Delhi, January 11, 2025** – India’s cricket team suffered a major setback after losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) to Australia 3-1, ending their hopes of reaching the ICC World Test Championship final. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) held an emergency meeting Saturday to analyze the team’s performance, focusing on the top order’s batting failures and the poor form of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

The meeting, attended by Sharma, chief selector Ajit Agarkar, head coach Gautam Gambhir, and top BCCI officials, discussed potential squad changes for upcoming tournaments. While a transition to a new generation of players is a possibility, the selectors may opt for a more experienced lineup for the upcoming Champions Trophy, given limited recent ODI experience. The upcoming series against England will offer a better assessment before final squad selection.

The BCCI’s Special General Meeting (SGM) on Sunday will see Devajit Saikia assume the role of secretary and Prabhtej Singh Bhatia become the new treasurer. ICC chairman Jay Shah will attend as a special invitee and receive an honour.

The announcement of the Champions Trophy squad has been delayed, likely until around January 18-19, citing the recent Australia tour. Squads for the limited-overs series against England, however, are expected in the next few days. Suryakumar Yadav is likely to captain the T20 team, with Arshdeep Singh leading the pace attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.

Despite the series loss, the Sydney Cricket Ground pitch, criticized for its aggressive nature, received a satisfactory rating from the ICC.

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