India to rotate shortlisted players before finalising World Cup squad: MSK Prasad

India’s chairman of selectors MSK Prasad on Friday said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is in talks with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises to ensure that the workload of players who will be key for India in the upcoming World Cup is managed properly. The board has taken special care so that those pair of legs remain fresh when India go for the mega tournament, starting May 30, in England and Wales.

Prasad also said that 18 players have been shortlisted and they will be rotated before the final squad for the 12th edition of the WC is picked. The squads for India’s upcoming T20I and ODI series against Australia starting February 24 were also announced on Friday. Virat Kohli, who took a break after leading India to three consecutive series wins (one Test and two ODI) in the Trans-Tasman tour recently, was back at the helm.

“We have shortlisted 18 players and we will rotate them before selecting the final World Cup squad. As far as workload management is concerned, it is yet to be worked out. There are discussions happening on that front and we will let you know,” Prasad told reporters while speaking about the Indian squads for the Australia series.

Will franchises agree to rest top players for WC?

One concern has remained over whether the franchises will agree to rest top Indian players after paying millions to buy them. BCCI’s acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary also admitted that the franchises have different viewpoints on the matter. He though stopped short of getting into the specifics but urged the franchises to keep the national interest in mind.

“And also considering the fact that all the franchises are Indian franchises, the interest of the country, of doing well at the highest international level, is paramount,” he said.

The final schedule of the IPL is yet to come out since this is also a year of the general election. The BCCI said it would wait for the Election Commission of India to reveal the polling dates and accordingly, the IPL fixture will be worked out.

[interaction id=”5c63ec1734b4f424f0a7ad58″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.