Chairman of BCCI Selection Committee, Ajit Agrakar, held an unofficial meeting with India captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Rahul Dravid and the entire team management in Colombo ahead of Asia Cup final clash against Sri Lanka. The marathon meeting lasted for three hours at the team hotel. Among the coaches, both batting coach Vikarm Rathore and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey were present. Apart from the final, Agarkar also discussed India squad for Australia series. IND vs AUS starts on Sep 22.
Immediately after the conclusion of the Asia Cup final, India will face Australia in a three-match ODI series at home. It will be India’s final chance to fine-tune combinations before World Cup.
All eyes on Shreyas Iyer
The IND vs AUS series will also be crucial for Shreyas Iyer. Having missed most of Asia Cup, Iyer is undercooked. After spending five months on the sidelines with back injury, he returned for Asia Cup. But after playing just one game, he suffered back spasms, ruling him out of three matches.
It’s still not clear whether he is fully fit. And even if he is fit, whether he should be picked for the Asia Cup final is the bigger question. Ishan Kishan has done admirably in his absence.
The three ODIs against Australia will be the only opportunity for Shreyas Iyer. If he does well, he will be slotted in as No 4. Else, India could rely on Ishan Kishan instead.
The matches will also be crucial for Mohammad Shami. He has looked rusty so far in Asia Cup. He has bowled 15 overs for 3 wickets. However, with World Cup starting on October 5, the three games will be crucial to determine whether Shami gets the nod ahead of Shardul Thakur.
IND vs AUS series starts on September 22 in Mohali. India will travel to Indore from Mohali for the 2nd ODI on Sep 24. The final ODI takes place in Rajkot on Sep 27.
After the conclusion of the series, India will begin their World Cup campaign on October 8 against Australia at Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Before that, India have two warm-up clashes against the Netherlands and England.
The clash between India and Pakistan was originally slated to take place in Ahmedabad on Sunday, October 15, but this clash has been moved a day earlier and will now be held at the same venue on Saturday, October 14.
Probable squad for IND vs AUS series:
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (Vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav
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