Virat Kohli set to attend selection meet on Sunday, likely to travel to West Indies: Reports
There is a school of thought that the skipper could be rested considering the long domestic season ahead, which begins in September, and in this scenario Rohit Sharma could be handed captaincy for the shorter formats.
According to various media reports, India skipper Virat Kohli is all-set to attend the selection meeting at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters in Mumbai on Sunday. It is also being reported that Kohli will travel to West Indies and will feature in all three formats as opposed to earlier reports that he and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will not feature in the T20I and ODI series.
As per a report published by India Today, Kohli has made himself available for the entire Windies tour. India are scheduled to play three T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests against Jason Holder’s troops starting August 3.
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Earlier, it was reported that Kohli will give the series a miss owing to workload management. There is a school of thought that the skipper could be rested considering the long domestic season ahead, which begins in September, and in this scenario Rohit Sharma could be handed captaincy for the shorter formats.
However, with the two Tests being part of the ICC Test Championship, Kohli could be included in the Test squad. A similar approach could be taken for pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
The panel would also work on restructuring the middle-order as it was one of the primary reasons for India’s exit from the World Cup semi-final. Stabilising the number four spot is the need of the hour going ahead.
It could also be end of the road for the experienced Dinesh Karthik and Maharashtra all-rounder Kedar Jadhav, who failed to perform in the World Cup.
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If Dhawan, who was ruled out of the World Cup owing to a thumb fracture, is deemed fit, he would, in all probability, open with Rohit. Other regulars, including K L Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, could retain their places in the limited-overs squads.
The choice of wicket-keepers for the Tests would be watched with interest as Pant did the job in the last series India played in Australia. With a fit-again Wriddiman Saha, who is considered the best in the country, it remains to be seen if the selectors bring him back or look to the future in Pant.
((With agency inputs))