After a disappointing season with the red ball, the Indian cricket team is all set to shift its focus to white-ball cricket, starting with England’s tour of India for 5 T20s and 3 ODIs, beginning Wednesday, January 22. While England has already announced its squad for the India tour, the home team has yet to announce its own. The squad announcement for the men in blue will be crucial, as BCCI will likely field the same team in ODIs against England, which they will be fielding for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy starting February 19.
The deadline for squad submission by ICC for the Champions Trophy is Saturday, January 12, for the provisional squad and February 13 for the final squad. Fans can expect BCCI to announce their squad in the coming days, as no official update was provided today. However, before making the announcement, the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee needs to answer multiple questions regarding the selection parameters, as India’s process of selecting superstar players has been under scrutiny in recent times.
Nonetheless, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are expected to make the cut despite their recent dry run with the bat. Another name that fans can be more than sure of is Jasprit Bumrah. However, after his recent injury concerns during India’s Sydney Test against Australia, his selection will also be subject to fitness.
Why is India’s squad announcement for the England series much anticipated?
- India’s squad for the England ODIs is likely to be the same as their squad for the ICC Champions Trophy.
- The name of Rohit Sharma’s deputy in white-ball cricket could be revealed.
- Hardik Pandya could make his return, allowing India to add more specialist bowlers to the squad.
- Shami could make his return if Bumrah is deemed unfit by BCCI.
- Siraj and Bumrah could be rested for the England series after a hectic season with the red ball.
- Youngster Nitish Kumar Reddy could be up for his ODI debut after stellar outings in T20 and Test cricket.