VVS Laxman appointed interim head coach for India's T20I series against South Africa: Find out why Gautam Gambhir will be absent

As per a report on Cricbuzz, a senior official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed that VVS Laxman is set to be appointed as the interim head coach for India's tour of South Africa. This decision comes after Gautam Gambhir, who recently faced his first series defeat as head coach with New Zealand securing a 2-0 lead against India, will not be accompanying the team for the upcoming tour. The Rohit Sharma-led side is scheduled to depart for Perth on November 10 for the Border-Gavaskar series, which consists of five Test matches against Australia.

Laxman will be accompanied by other members of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru - like Sairaj Bahutule, Hrishikesh Kanitkar and Subhadeep Ghosh - who will form the coaching staff. The trio recently served as India's coaches in the Asia Emerging Cup tournament in Oman.

The T20I series will be played in Durban, Gqeberha, Centurion and Johannesburg on November 8, 10, 13 and 15 respectively. The Indian team will leave for Durban on November 4.

The four-match contest was initially not part of the international fixture, but was later arranged between the BCCI and Cricket South Africa (CSA). And former India captain Sunil Gavaskar questioned the logic behind having this series amid the ongoing domestic season.

"Next month, there's a needless four-match T20 series in South Africa before the tour to Australia. There will also be an 'A' team touring Australia next month, so effectively about 50 to 60 players will not be available for their State teams in the premier national tournament, the Ranji Trophy," he wrote in Sportstar.