Gambhir's Big Plans For England Tour

Head coach Gautam Gambhir is set to accompany the India 'A' team on their tour of England ahead of the Indian team's five-Test series in June.

Gambhir has been in discussions with the BCCI top brass after their series loss in Australia and wants to assess the reserve pool firsthand in England, according to a report in The Times of India.

'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.

This

would mark the first time an Indian head coach travels with the 'A' team on a tour. However, it remains uncertain whether he will join as a coach or just as an observer.

Gambhir, along with Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar and the National Cricket Academy's Head of Cricket V V S Laxman, is keen on reviving India 'A' tours to strengthen the pool of players for the Test squad.

'One of the crucial issues identified is reviving India 'A' tours. There have been only a handful 'A' series after (Rahul) 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 told the newspaper.

Some senior players may be asked to feature in the 'A' series in England to help the team management evaluate their form and identify potential back-ups.