New Delhi: The BCCI senior selection committee is unlikely to make any experiment when they pick the squad February 15, for the five-match ODI series against Australia in Mumbai. The team for the two T20Is will also be announced the same day.
It has been learnt that the team management as well as the selection committee are on the same page and the squad that will play against Australia is likely to be a mirror-image of the one that will be travelling to UK for the World Cup.
There is a possibility that selectors may pick 16 members for the ODIs instead of 15 in order to check all the players in contention for the World Cup.
“There is a possibility that Rohit Sharma may be rested for the two T20 games as Virat Kohli will be back. But when it comes to selecting the ODI squad, there won’t be any experiments with only five matches to go,” a senior BCCI official told this agency, Tuesday
Asked about the much talked about workload management programme, the official said: “Most of our ODI boys will be getting good two-and-half weeks of rest. Well, the pacers can be rotated during the five matches but no one will be kept out of the squad and rested. Workload management will be required more during the IPL.”
The source stated that while most of the spots have been more or less confirmed there are two places still up for grabs. “The battle is for the second wicket-keeper between Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant along with third opener’s slot. The team management at least won’t experiment during the first three games,” he informed.
There is a school of thought that Shikhar Dhawan may be rested for the final two ODIs and the selectors just check if KL Rahul has found his form back in order to keep him ready for the mega event.
PTI