ODI World Cup 2023: Ajit Agarkar to meet Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma in West Indies to finalise core players for marquee event

The upcoming ODI World Cup is just a few months away. With the tournament all set to begin on October 5, the Indian team will kick off their campaign against Australia on October 8. One of the biggest talking points ahead of the marquee tournament could be the possible squad combination that India could use at the tournament.

Keeping the agenda in mind, the newly appointed BCCI chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, will reportedly be travelling to the West Indies to talk to head coach Rahul Dravid, skipper Rohit Sharma, and the senior players in order to map out a strategy and possible team combinations for the much-anticipated event. 

Agarkar reportedly wants to finalize the core 20-player squad for the World Cup before the ODI series between the West Indies and India kicks off. He is expected to reach Trinidad before the ODI series that is scheduled to begin on July 27. 

A BCCI source, in know of the development, revealed the same information, "Currently Salil Ankola is in the West Indies, but he will be back after the Test series gets over. Ajit will be joining the team before the start of the white ball leg," the official was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.

There will be many major discussions in the coming weeks; furthermore, it is also expected that there will be no big surprises in the squad, as the most promising youngsters will be occupied playing at the Asian Games in September and October.

One of the biggest talking points could be the inclusion of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah. The 29-year-old has been out of the national squad for quite some time due to his injury. However, with his return to training at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), the Indian team will be hopeful that he comes back to lead the bowling unit.

Furthermore, ace batter KL Rahul could be included in the squad after his recent thigh injury that he sustained while competing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. The upcoming Asia Cup will give a much better idea of India’s squad composition as well, and it could be interesting to see what squad India fields in the multi-nation tournament.