Champions Trophy: The selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar will meet here on Saturday to choose the Indian team for the Champions Trophy in which they will have to take two difficult decisions – how to fit Yashasvi Jaiswal in the final 15 and the second on the fitness of main fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Consider.
Bumrah had suffered a back muscle strain during the recent Sydney Test against Australia due to which he did not bowl on the final day at the SCG. He has been advised to reduce the workload and the physios at the Center of Excellence of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are keeping an eye on his fitness.
Therefore, Agarkar and his teammates along with head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma will seriously consider Bumrah’s fitness status before taking a final decision on his inclusion. There will be clarity on this complex situation after Agarkar and Rohit address the press conference after the selection committee meeting.
Rohit’s appearance before the press is a clear indication that he will remain the captain in ODIs as well, although there is speculation about his future in Test cricket after the disappointing tour of Australia. In a video on Instagram, 37-year-old Rohit was seen playing flicks, drives, lofted hits and pull shots during a training session here.
Apart from this, voices are being raised from all sides to include Jaiswal in the team. The 23-year-old is in great form at the moment and will also bring good variety as a left-handed batsman at the top of the order. But Jaiswal may have direct competition with KL Rahul for selection as Rohit, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are among the top four players in India.
So if you also need Jaiswal in the team then it is a difficult task for the selectors. It is also possible that Jaiswal may be given a chance in the three-match ODI series against England and Rahul may be given priority for the ICC tournament. The team will also be selected for the series against England on Saturday.
Rishabh Pant may be given the position of the main wicketkeeper batsman after Sanju Samson’s exclusion from the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Dhruv Jurel can be selected as the second wicketkeeper. Senior fast bowler Mohammed Shami could be included in the squad as he has played most of the domestic matches and has also been included in the Indian squad for the five-match home T20 series against England.
Another name that can be discussed is the in-form Karun Nair, who has so far scored 752 runs with five centuries in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. But it is difficult for him to make a place in the already strong middle order which will also include all-rounder Hardik Pandya. However, Karun can be included in the team for the ODI matches against England.
The selectors also want clarity on the fitness of star wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav as he is recovering from a long-term back injury. Kuldeep has shared videos of him bowling on his social media account and this can be taken as a good sign ahead of the selection meeting. Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna is also likely to fly to Dubai where India will start the campaign against Bangladesh on February 20.
