India’s newly appointed Test captain Shubman Gill has proposed a structural reset to the BCCI, calling for mandatory 15-day preparatory camps before every Test series in an attempt to arrest the team’s alarming red-ball decline.
The suggestion, reported by Times of India, comes after a turbulent 2025 for Indian Test cricket, a year that promised renewal but ultimately exposed deep-rooted issues in preparation, selection and stability. While India enjoyed success in white-ball cricket, their struggles in Tests raised serious concerns about the future direction of the longest format.
What Happened To The Indian Test Team?
Indian Test cricket entered 2025 amid uncertainty. The year began with controversy during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, when captain Rohit Sharma opted out of the fifth Test after a poor run of form. Though Rohit later maintained that the decision was a one-off, it marked the beginning of a rapid transition phase.
In quick succession, India lost three of its biggest red-ball pillars. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin all retired from Test cricket within months, leaving the side short on experience and leadership. In August 2025, Cheteshwar Pujara also joined the retirement bandwagon, although he had been out of the India Test team by that point. With the Test captaincy suddenly vacant, the selectors and management turned to Shubman Gill to lead the next generation.
Gill’s first assignment as captain was a challenging tour of England. He responded positively, scoring a century in his debut Test as leader. Despite losing the opening match after England chased down 371, Gill delivered one of the great individual performances in Test history in the second Test, scoring 430 runs across two innings. India went on to draw the series 2–2, with Gill finishing as the leading run-scorer.
However, the momentum failed to carry into home conditions. India comfortably beat West Indies in the first Test but were forced to grind for a result in the second, an early sign of vulnerability. Those concerns intensified during the home series against South Africa, where India suffered a historic whitewash, South Africa’s first Test series win in India in 25 years.
The defeat exposed multiple issues: frequent changes to the batting order, the absence of a settled number three, overdependence on all-rounders, questionable selection calls and a lack of clarity around roles. Pitch preparation and tactical decision-making also came under scrutiny, with the side appearing underprepared against quality opposition.
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Shubman Gill’s Suggestion To The BCCI
In the aftermath of the home series defeat against South Africa, Gill conveyed to the BCCI the need for dedicated 15-day preparatory camps before every Test series, regardless of whether the matches are at home or overseas. The aim of the proposal is to ensure uninterrupted red-ball preparation in an increasingly crowded international calendar dominated by white-ball cricket.
Gill’s suggestion is centred around building rhythm and continuity in the Test squad. The camps would allow players to transition properly from limited-overs formats, focus on red-ball skills, adapt to conditions, and develop clearer roles within the XI. According to the leadership group’s assessment, the lack of extended preparation time has contributed to inconsistent performances, especially against high-quality opposition.
The proposal also factors in fitness management and team cohesion. With frequent changes in personnel and roles throughout 2025, Gill believes structured camps could help settle combinations, clarify batting positions and provide bowlers the workload required for Test-match readiness. The BCCI has held informal discussions with selectors and the team management on the feasibility of implementing such camps, although scheduling constraints remain a challenge.
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It is in this context that Gill’s suggestion gains weight. By pushing for 15-day preparatory camps before every Test series, the captain is advocating for focused red-ball preparation, better cohesion and clearer planning, areas that were visibly missing throughout 2025.
With difficult tours of Sri Lanka and New Zealand scheduled in 2026, followed by a marquee home series against Australia, Indian Test cricket stands at a crossroads. Gill’s proposal reflects an understanding that talent alone is no longer enough and that preparation may be the key to rebuilding India’s Test fortunes.
