Focus on Virat Kohli & Rohit Sharma T20 World Cup Participation As BCCI Set For Crucial Meeting - Report

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With veterans Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma keen to play in the T20 World Cup 2024 later this year, BCCI are reportedly set for a crucial meeting when Team India faces South Africa in the second Test in Cape Town.

According to a report by PTI, the Ajit Agarkar-led Indian selection committee will be meeting to select the squad for Team India's final T20I assignment ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 in June.

India will face Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series at home, starting from January 11 in Mohali. The second and third match will be played on January 14 in Indore and January 17 in Bengaluru respectively.

This will be the last international T20 assignment for India before the show-piece event with the first half of IPL 2024 also providing a chance for players to grab the selectors' attention.

The report adds that Agarkar and Co are set to have some sleepless nights before selecting the squad for T20s against Afghanistan with veterans Rohit and Kohli keen to play the World Cup in June.

Both Rohit and Kohli, who are part of the Test team in South Africa, have not played in the shortest format for India since the T20 World Cup semifinal against England in November 2022.

Chairman of the selection committee Agarkar will be joined by two national selectors, Shiv Sunder Das and Salil Ankola, who are both in South Africa with the group set to meet during the course of the second Test at Newlands.

It is expected that Agarkar and Co will speak to head coach Rahul Dravid along with Test and ODI skipper Rohit, star batter Kohli before announcing the squad against Afghanistan.

Around 30 T20 specialists, including India and IPL stars, will be monitored ahead of the ICC event in Caribbean and United States. It remains to be seen whether Agarkar and his colleagues select both Rohit and Kohli for the Afghanistan series or directly check their form and fitness during IPL.

The two contemporary legends have apparently made it clear that they would very much like to be part of T20 World Cup. With England Tests starting in Hyderabad from January 25, it is unlikely that even if Rohit and Virat are selected, they would play beyond a couple of matches.

While the selectors will ponder over Kohli and Rohit's inclusion, two more stars who have been regulars in the shortest format over the last year - Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav - are likely to miss out spots for the Afghanistan series due to fitness issues.

"Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya aren't fit. The Afghanistan series won't tell you anything. Everything will be decided on the basis of the first month of IPL," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Workload management and monitoring core group during IPL

The BCCI brass knows that they can't tell any franchise to optimally use a potential pick for the T20 World Cup which will be held in June-July after IPL concludes in last week of May.

"The BCCI can never tell a franchise to manage a star player's workload unless it's a case of injury management," source added. So there is a possibility that at least 25 to 30 players are zeroed in and monitored closely during the two months of IPL.

There could be a case of injury or fitness issue during the IPL and the selection committee would need two players for each slot, so that the like-for-like replacement is ready. The only player whose ready replacement won't be available is Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik.