"Take some time before..."- BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia reacts to India's 0-2 series defeat vs South Africa

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, Devajit Saikia, reckoned that they won’t take any immediate action on the management post their 0-2 series defeat against South Africa, including the 408-run defeat at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. This is now their second home Test series whitewash in the last three attempts.

Devajit Saikia, during a recent interview on Times of India (TOI), expressed that there would be a soul-searching regarding their batter’s lack of skills to play spin at home. He also noted that the five-day wicket would always be ideal for the red-ball format, and the players must adapt to different conditions at various venues.

“You have to consider vital things. One is that three seasoned cricketers — Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin — left Test cricket. New players are coming into the setup. So, at present, the Indian team is going through a transition. It will take some time before we reclaim our position as the No. 1 Test team in the world.” Saikia told in the TOI interaction.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia reveals reasons for India’s decline in red-ball cricket

Saikia also shed light on how the Blue Brigade had seen three veterans- Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin- making their retirement in close time and that shackled their balance. He also informed that if any change would need to be taken regarding the management, it would be during a particular period.

“BCCI doesn’t take knee-jerk reactions. We are going on as per our long-term plan. Winning or losing is a part of the game. We don’t make changes now and then. If any change is required, we will take a call at the end of that particular period.” Saikia addressed in the interview.

“We have to certainly do some soul-searching, and there will be some discussion on this. We will definitely visit this aspect, whether our best batters are less comfortable playing spin nowadays. A lot of touring spinners have been very successful here. Be it in the case of the New Zealand series last year (Oct-Nov 2024, India lost 0-3) or now the South Africa series, their spinners are doing the job very nicely.” The BCCI secretary informed.