Before the Test series against England later this year, Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian cricket team, will be traveling with the India A squad. This means that he will be taking on a new responsibility. He will be the first head coach in history to go abroad for a series with an A team. In addition to identifying the next big thing in the longest format, he wants to swiftly adjust to the circumstances.

Gautam Gambhir wants to accompany Team India A on their trip.

All of the Indian players have joined their respective IPL clubs for the next season after the conclusion of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. In the past, former Indian cricket players like Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman used to coach all of the India A and U-19 teams. However, Gambhir has expressed his desire to halt this tendency to the board.

The former coaches, Rahul Dravid and Ravi Shastri, have never flown with the India-A team. Gambhir is special because of this choice. However, it is unclear what his responsibilities would be—whether he would be observing the squad or serving as a coach or mentor.

Gambhir had discussed this with the board after the Border-Gavaskar Trophy match against Australia, according to a BCCI source.

“The board and Gambhir have been in communication. To have a better understanding of the talent pool, he would want to accompany the India A squad on their trip,” the insider said.

The goals of Gautam Gambhir for the T20I and ODI teams

Gambhir’s influence on the Indian team’s selection for the just-completed mega-event was evident as India won the championship thanks to his backing of a few wild-card players who were instrumental. And he will now contribute even more to the team’s strength.

Instead of choosing players for both the 50-over and the shortest formats, he has advocated for the creation of a distinct T20I side that would be chosen only on the basis of their current form. According to him, having distinct teams would make developing white-ball strategy easier.

Prior to the 2027 ODI World Cup, the Men in Blue will play 24 ODIs, and Gambhir wants to rapidly assemble the core squads. Additionally, it’s unclear whether Rohit Sharma will be the team’s front-runner for the big event.

Gambhir had predicted that the next IPL season will be crucial in determining the top T20 players ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, which would be played in India and Sri Lanka.