On Friday, January 5, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is probably going to reveal the team for the Twenty20 International series against Afghanistan.
Thursday, January 11, at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, will mark the start of the three-match series. The following two games will take place on January 14 in Indore and January 17 in Bengaluru.
To choose the team for the Afghanistan T20I series and the first two Test matches against England, SS Das and Salil Ankola, along with chief selector Ajit Agarkar, will reportedly convene in Cape Town. Head Coach Rahul Dravid will also be present at the meeting, along with Subrata Banerjee and S Sharath from India via video chat.
around the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA in June, there has been a great deal of uncertainty around the participation of famous Indian batting combo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The pair did not participate in the two bilateral series against Australia and South Africa following the World Cup. Their last appearance in a Twenty20 international was against England in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup in 2022. Nevertheless, according to a number of publications, the two have stated that they would be willing to participate in the next World Cup.
Hardik Pandya, an all-rounder who has captained the team most of the time since the T20 World Cup 2022, would not be eligible to be chosen since he is still healing from an ankle injury he suffered in the Pune match against Bangladesh during the ODI World Cup 2023.
Star batter Suryakumar Yadav was given the captaincy during the series against Australia and South Africa in Pandya’s absence. He guided the team to a 4-1 victory against the Kangaroos and a 1-1 series draw against the Proteas.
Rest time for Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah
But the 33-year-old sustained an ankle injury during the third Twenty20 International Series, and he will be out for a few months. The selection committee will thus have a monumental challenge in selecting a new captain for the Afghanistan series. Whether Rohit Sharma rejoins the T20I team or if the selectors give the job to a rookie or an experienced player like Ravindra Jadeja will be interesting to watch.
Fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah will be rested for the three-match play against England, according to an Indian Express report, because the selectors want them fit for the five Test matches against England starting on January 25.
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