Appointment of new T20I skipper in focus as BCCI selectors meet to name New Zealand series squad

The Indian national selectors are expected to meet in the next couple of days to pick the squad for India’s upcoming series against New Zealand at home, which gets underway from November 17 (Jaipur) with the first T20I followed by two more on November 19 (Ranchi) and 21 (Kolkata). The series will be followed by two Tests from November 25-29 and December 3-7 in Kanpur and Mumbai, respectively.

The meeting holds greater significance than a usual squad selection meeting given the committee will also have to take a call on who will lead the team as Virat Kohli, the incumbent all-format skipper has announced the ongoing T20 World Cup to be his last assignment in that capacity with the team.

It is understood that Indian vice-captain Rohit Sharma is the frontrunner to take the baton from Kohli, however, there is a likelihood of the senior players being rested for the series, after they have spent considerable time in bio-bubbles away from home with India’s Test and limited-overs squad apart from the Indian Premier League (IPL).

India have had a jam-packed schedule over the last year. The team toured Australia for an all-format series played from November 2020 to January 2021, immediately after the conclusion of the 2020 IPL. The Australia tour was followed by an all-format home series against England in February-March 2021. The 14th edition of the IPL commenced in April before being postponed due to a spate of Covid-19 cases in early May.

In the period between the IPL resumption in September, India went to the United Kingdom for the World Test Championship final in June, followed by the five-Test series against England in August-September. The fifth and final encounter of the series had to be postponed after Covid-19 struck the Indian camp.

The players then flew to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the second leg of the IPL, which concluded on October 15, only nine days before India started their T20 World Cup campaign. The event will conclude on November 14, after which India will host New Zealand, followed by an all-format away tour of South Africa in December-January.

Having been a part of many such backbreakingly busy calendars, Kohli cited “immense workload over the last 8-9 years and captaining regularly for 5-6 years” as the reason to relinquish the T20I captaincy. There is, therefore, a possibility that the selectors will discuss adopting the split captaincy model for the team in the coming future.

As for the New Zealand series, the selected players will have to report by November 10 before undergoing a five-day mandatory quarantine, upon the conclusion of which they will be permitted to train and practice.

India to undergo a coaching overhaul

Meanwhile, changes are upcoming not only in the captaincy front of India but also in the support staff, with incumbent head coach Ravi Shastri’s tenure ending with the T20 World Cup. Shastri has conveyed to the BCCI that he is not inclined to get his contract extended, while bowling coach Bharat Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar will also vacate their position after the World Cup.

Former skipper Rahul Dravid, who was since long speculated to replace Shastri, has formally applied for the position, is set to be appointed. Paras Mhambrey, who has worked with Dravid during his time with India A, U19 teams and the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, has applied for the bowling coach role, as has former wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra. Abhay Sharma, who too has been with Dravid at the NCA, has submitted his application for the fielding coach.

The deadline for applying to head coach ended on October 26, while the deadline for other coaches is November 3.