After White-Ball Success, BCCI Aiming for Team India's Test Revamp

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly set to take a step towards improving their strength in red-ball cricket. There are multiple structural changes which are being planned at the grassroot levels.

As per the reports in PTI, the board will be focusing on creating a strong list of players who are suited for the longer format. This could be a defining move by the board, especially at a time when T20 leagues continue to dominate the calendar. BCCI steps for India Test team will involve the country's U-19 and U-25 teams, along with a revamped approach under the Centre of Excellence (CoE).

Youth Cricket a Part of BCCI Steps for India Test Team

One of the important things in BCCI plans for Test cricket includes planned red-ball tours of Sri Lanka for both India U19 and U25 teams. These tours will likely have multi-day matches which will provide young players like Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre more exposure to long formats and that too in overseas conditions.

This plan is likely to come in action to prepare players early for the requirements of Test cricket by sending them to play in challenging conditions and extended tours. With increasing concern about the the availability of players in red-ball cricket, these tours will help India to frequently the best Test batsmen who are technically sound and durable in both batting and bowling departments.

Recently, India Test cricket team hasn't been doing well, even in home conditions and there has been a lot of scrutiny regarding the players moving towards the white-ball format. This move will help the players stake their claim in the purest format of the game.

VVS Laxman-Led CoE to Prepare Talent Pool for Tests

The CoE, led by former legendary Indian cricketer VVS Laxman, will play a huge role in this new structure. The CoE is likely to focus on nurturing players on their temperament and skills for the longest format of the game. This will include workload management, technical training and more which will help them to keep themselves relevant in the Test cricket for a longer time.
In addition to that, the BCCI, the richest cricket board in the world, is reportedly planning a four-team intra-CoE tournament which will feature U-25 players after the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
India won the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 and have also won the 50-over Champions Trophy last year, which means they are strong enough in the limited overs format. But when it comes to the longest format, the Men in Blue are yet to lift the World Test Championship (WTC) title despite reaching the final two times.