Close to a month after India lost 0–2 to South Africa at home – their second whitewash in less than a year – rumors started doing the rounds that the BCCI had made an “informal inquiry” for former India batter VVS Laxman about taking over as coach of the Test team. That rumor has been emphatically shut down by the board, which reiterated its support for incumbent head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Talking to ANI, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia dismissed all rumours on Sunday, adding there has been no move to replace the red-ball setup leadership. Laxman’s name has oft been mentioned alongside the national coaching job.
“This is totally incorrect news going on. This is totally speculative news. Some very reputed news agencies are also flashing the news. There is no truth to it. BCCI straight away denies. People can think all they want, but BCCI has not taken any steps. This is somebody’s figment of imagination; there is no truth in it, and I cannot say anything except that this is factually incorrect and baseless news.”
After being repeatedly targeted by the critics in September, Gambhir even addressed questions over his own future. He spoke of India’s triumph in white-ball cricket under him-ICC Champions Trophy in the ODI format before clinching the men’s T20 Asia Cup in September this year.
But while that has strengthened his position, questions remain in the BCCI over India’s performances in Test cricket. India are sixth in the World Test Championship 2025–27 standings, according to another PTI report, with nine matches left in the cycle.
