The anticipation is building, as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) men’s senior selection committee gears up to meet in Ahmedabad on Tuesday to finalise India’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup. This critical meeting follows an informal discussion in Delhi last weekend between chief selector chairman Ajit Agarkar, head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma.
The meeting in Ahmedabad is expected to be attended by key figures including board secretary Jay Shah, Agarkar and other members of the selection committee. Despite Rohit’s IPL commitments with the Mumbai Indians, he is expected to join the meeting virtually in the afternoon. Earlier, they were scheduled to meet in Mumbai on May 1.
The selection committee is facing dilemmas regarding a couple of slots in the squad, with opinion divided among the selectors and the team management. This was the main focus of the recent meeting in Delhi, which was aimed at getting everyone on the same page.
Along with the primary squad of 15, the selectors are likely to announce some travelling reserves and net bowlers for the T20 World Cup. The deadline set by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for all teams to finalise their squads is May 1, allowing for adjustments and changes until May 25.
As the clock ticks closer, all eyes will be on the outcome of the selection meeting. It is unlikely that a press conference will be held on Tuesday. There’s also a chance that the team itself won’t be announced on the day of the meeting. There’s a possibility of a media interaction either on May 1 or 2.
Likely India squad for T20 World Cup
Rohit Sharma (C), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel/Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, Sanju Samson/KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj.