Workload management and a wobbly middle-order will be the key points to ponder for the National selection panel as it sits down on Saturday to finalise India’s squad for the Asia Cup to be played in the United Arab Emirates from September 15 to 28.
With India set to feature in the six-team tournament immediately after the conclusion of a 10-week tour of the United Kingdom, the five-member panel will have to take a call on whether to rest the all-format regulars and injury-prone players during the Asia Cup or the series against the West Indies after that.
Doubtful
Captain Virat Kohli, who has been managing a back injury since the start of the year, and the pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the first two Tests in England due to a thumb injury, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has returned to competitive cricket after returning from England after the limited-overs leg, form the injury-prone players’ list whose participation in the continental 50-over tournament hangs in the balance.
Besides, openers K.L. Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan have also spent almost three months in England along with wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik. While Karthik isn’t a natural choice in ODIs, the selectors will have to decide on rotating Rahul and Dhawan, with Rohit Sharma being a permanent fixture at the top.
The opinion of the team management will hold the key to whether a full-strength squad features in the Asia Cup. With the penultimate Test being played in Southampton, chief selector M.S.K. Prasad was expected to discuss the selection issues with Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri late on Friday. The timing of the break for the regulars ahead of a rigorous season in the build-up to next year’s World Cup will be decided by the time Prasad sits down at the BCCI headquarters along with his colleagues on Saturday.
Slots up for grabs
With an eye on the World Cup, the selectors will also have plenty to worry about the two slots open in the middle-order. In the recent past, the selectors and the team management have played musical chairs with the No. 4 and 5 spots. Just when Kedar Jadhav appeared to have grabbed one of them, his injury during the Indian Premier League brought Ambati Rayudu back into the mix in England.
However, Rayudu’s inability to clear the fitness test meant Suresh Raina returned to the squad, Shreyas Iyer sat out and Manish Pandey missed out.
Since then, Jadhav has recovered after a prolonged rehab, Rayudu has cleared the Yo-Yo test, Shreyas has been consistent with the bat and Pandey has sizzled for the India-A and India-B squads. It may give an indication that the selectors will enjoy a problem of plenty.