The Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee is likely to select a 17-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup on Monday, August 21 to test all possible options ahead of the ODI World Cup starting on October 5. It is also learned that the BCCI (Indian Cricket Board) is breaking away from the tradition of holding a selection meeting for the first time and head coach Rahul Dravid will also be present during the meeting to be held in the national capital on Monday morning.
Earlier legends like Ravi Shastri and Anil Kumble also did not attend the selection meetings during their tenure as national coach. In Cricket Australia, the head coach is a part of the NSP (National Selection Panel) but in India, the coach and captain of the national team do not have the right to vote in selection matters. It is not yet confirmed whether both captain Rohit Sharma and Dravid will attend the meeting physically or through video conferencing.
Key players recovering from injuries like Lokesh Rahul (thigh) and Shreyas Iyer (lower back) are yet to prove their fitness. The BCCI officials and selectors can choose a safe option which will give them an opportunity to try out all the available players in five (if it reaches the final, six) matches during the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has made provision for a 17-member team for the Asia Cup. Accordingly, Pakistan, Bangladesh have selected a 17-member team.
A BCCI source said on the condition of confidentiality, ‘There is a possibility of choosing a 15-member provisional team for the World Cup, which will have to be submitted by September 5. However, any team can make changes in this list. The deadline for handing over the final list of teams is 27 September. He said, ‘More players can be selected for the Asia Cup.’ ‘PTI-Bhasha’ reported on Friday itself that Rahul is close to regaining full fitness, while a report in ‘ESPNcricinfo’ said that Iyer batted for 38 overs and 50 overs in the practice match at NCA. of fielding.
In this meeting, the name of left-handed batsman Tilak Verma will be discussed, but if Rahul and Iyer are fit then it will be difficult for them to get a place in the last 15. The same situation will happen with Sanju Samson, where Suryakumar Yadav will have the upper hand for the extra batsman in the team. Ravichandran Ashwin’s name is likely to be discussed in the spin bowling department, which is overshadowed by other bowlers in terms of skill. A former national selector has expressed surprise over Ashwin not being included in the limited-overs series in the West Indies, asking, “If you can bat at number four, why not have Ashwin in the squad to test?” Can keep It can be fatal in Indian conditions.
India’s probable 17-man squad:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Lokesh Rahul (wicketkeeper, subject to fitness), Shreyas Iyer (subject to fitness), Hardik Pandya (vice-captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav , Ishaan Kishan (alternate wicketkeeper), Akshar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Yuzvendra Chahal or Ravichandran Ashwin.
