India Set to Reveal Squads for England ODIs & Champions Trophy in Mumbai

New Delhi, Jan 17 (NationPress) The captain of India, Rohit Sharma, along with chief selector Ajit Agarkar, is scheduled to unveil the squads for the upcoming three-match One-day International (ODI) series against England and the imminent Champions Trophy in Mumbai on Saturday.

According to an official announcement from the BCCI, the selection committee, led by Agarkar, will convene in Mumbai on Saturday morning. After finalizing the squads, Rohit and Agarkar will hold a press conference at 12:30 pm at Wankhede Stadium. A focal point of interest during this crucial briefing will be the fitness conditions of Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav. Bumrah missed bowling during the second innings of the Sydney Test due to back spasms, raising concerns regarding his readiness for the upcoming 50-over matches.

With a history of back issues, Bumrah recently returned to action after a lengthy absence of 11 months to participate in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Conversely, Kuldeep has been sidelined since last October due to hernia surgery but has resumed bowling at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Regarding the squad composition, Rohit is almost certain to retain his captaincy, with Shubman Gill expected to partner him at the top of the order. It remains to be seen if Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has impressed in Tests and T20Is, will also be included.

With Virat Kohli likely to bat third, the selectors may engage in extensive discussions regarding the middle and lower-order lineup. KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer were pivotal during the 2023 ODI World Cup middle-order, and as these three matches against England are the only fixtures before the Champions Trophy, their reunion appears probable. For the second wicketkeeper role, Rishabh Pant seems to be in pole position, although Sanju Samson is also a contender. However, Samson has not participated in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy due to missing a preliminary camp for Kerala.

A discussion about Karun Nair is expected, who leads the Vijay Hazare Trophy run-charts with 752 runs and is set to play in Saturday’s final for Vidarbha against his former team, Karnataka. The selection panel will also evaluate the inclusion of Hardik Pandya, who could provide essential balance to the team based on his performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

In the spin department, aside from Kuldeep’s fitness, it will be interesting to see who between Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel makes the final cut, with Varun Chakaravarthy also having an outside chance.

For the fast-bowling unit, contenders like Arshdeep Singh or Prasidh Krishna could be included alongside Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami, particularly if Bumrah is unavailable. Other fast-bowling options include Mukesh Kumar, and all-rounders Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

The ODIs against England are slated for February 6, 9, and 12 in Nagpur, Cuttack, and Ahmedabad, respectively. Following that, India will compete in the Champions Trophy league matches in Dubai, starting their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20. They will face their arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23 and conclude their league stage against New Zealand on March 2. India has previously won the Champions Trophy twice and was the runner-up in the last edition held in 2017.

Additionally, Rohit and Agarkar might address inquiries regarding the recently released 10-point policy guidelines from the BCCI following the team's Test series defeat in Australia, as well as details from the review meeting held on January 11, and rumors of unrest within the team.