BCCI shortlists 20 India players for 2023 ICC World Cup

BCCI, the apex body of cricket in India, has made a twenty-man shortlist for the upcoming ICC World Cup later this year, which is set to take place in India.

With India lifting the title twelve years ago in 2011, the BCCI is keen to replicate the feat as the World Cup takes centre stage in only India this year.

And there was a meeting recently that took place in Mumbai where the decision has been taken. Head coach Rahul Dravid, India captain Rohit Sharma, NCA head VVS Laxman, outgoing chief selector Chetan Sharma all were present in a Mumbai hotel and brainstormed for more than four hours to determine the roadmap of Indian cricket till the World Cup.

BCCI president Roger Binny was in the loop via a video call with the rest of the team. BCCI has taken decisions to manage the workload of the players and they have prioritised bilateral and international cricket.

"It was a very constructive and fruitful meeting where we have reviewed the past performance and planned for the future events, including World Cup and World Test Championship (WTC). We will give preference for international cricket while making sure the IPL is not diluted," a BCCI source attending the meeting said.

NCA will also be working with the IPL franchise to keep an eye on the targeted players to implement maximum fitness measurements for them. The twenty players that have been shortlisted will now be rotated in the upcoming assignments to ensure the players get ample opportunities ahead of the World Cup.

BCCI has decided that Yo-Yo test will be the main fitness criterion and there will be no compromise with the fitness of the players.

"The Yo-Yo Test and Dexa will now be part of selection criteria and implemented in the customized roadmaps of the central pool of players," BCCI said in a statement after the meeting.