BCCI in the quest to reintroduce bench strength grooming

The 0-3 whitewash at home against the Black Caps has raised alarm bells within the BCCI administration, compelling them to revisit their 'A' program which involves bolstering their bench strength for the top-tier Indian team. As per a recent report from TOI, National Cricket Academy (NCA) head VVS Laxman is reportedly devising a strategy to create a player resource pool.

The 'A' program worked as a charm under the supervision of former India head coach Rahul Dravid who used to tour with developmental teams throughout the year thereby offering the highest degree of exposure to young budding India cricketers. 

The issues surrounding the 'A' program in the past

The 'A' program suffered a setback in the past following the advent of the Covid pandemic. These A tours presented a huge financial burden on the other boards as they refrained from sponsoring the India U-19 series and 'A' teams. Despite the pressing challenges, BCCI made concise efforts to organize a couple of shadow 'A' tours like the one that preceded India's Test tour of Australia. 

"Other boards have communicated to the BCCI that they can't bear the expenses of an 'A' tour. The BCCI has still tried to organize a couple of shadow 'A' tours like the one which precedes India's Test tour of Australia. Laxman is working on it to come up with a plan that will offer greater exposure to the next generation of cricketers," a source said.

The major reason behind several boards' reluctance to host the 'A' tours vastly stems from the financial implications. These tours do not generate any revenue and all the expenses have to be incurred by the local boards which makes the 'A' program a highly unsustainable prospect in the long run.  Laxman will have a tricky task at hand and needs to find a viable solution to make these tours more affordable. 

A look into India's most recent 'A' tour

India featured in an 'A' series earlier this year against the England Lions prior to the start of the five-match Test series against England. That series offered an all-round view to the selectors on the players' current standing which in turn provided a baseline for them to make suitable selections ahead of the competitive Test series. 

Moreover, the 'A' program also came into focus in India's previous BGT outing down under where the likes of Siraj, Thaku, Saini, and Sundar all of whom stepped up in the absence of senior players. These players were the by-product of the 'A' series that was scheduled just before the start of the series. On the back of some formidable performances in the 'A' series, these budding youngsters were able to book their place in the Indian playing Xl which subsequently triumphed under dire conditions to clinch the series by 2-1.  

See also: Nitish Reddy included in Ravi Shastri's playing Xl in the upcoming Perth Test