Reports: BCCI to announce squad for Afghanistan T20I series today, major decision likely on Kohli and Rohit's future

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to announce the squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan on Friday, January 05. The three-match series will begin from Thursday, January 11 at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali while the remaining two games will be played on January 14 in Indore and January 17 in Bengaluru.

According to reports, the selection committee led by the chief selector Ajit Agarkar and comprising of SS Das and Salil Ankola will meet in Cape Town to pick the squad for the Afghanistan T20I series and the first two Tests against England. The trio will be joined by Subrata Banerjee and S Sharath in India through a video call while Head Coach Rahul Dravid will also attend the meeting.

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Notably, there has been widespread suspense about whether star Indian batting duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be playing in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA in June. The duo last featured in a T20I during the semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2022 against England and weren’t part of the two bilateral series against Australia and South Africa after the World Cup. However, several reports have claimed that the duo have expressed their willingness to play in the upcoming World Cup.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya who’s captained the side for the majority of matches since the T20 World Cup 2022 will not be available for selection as he’s recovering from an ankle injury he sustained during the ODI World Cup 2023 fixture against Bangladesh in Pune.

In Pandya’s absence, star batter Suryakumar Yadav was entrusted with the leadership role for the series against Australia and South Africa and he led the side to a 4-1 win against the Kangaroos while drew the series against the Proteas by 1-1.

Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah to be rested

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However, the 33-year-old injured his ankle during the third T20I series and has been ruled out for a couple of months. Hence, the selection committee face a herculean task of naming a new captain for the Afghanistan series. It will be interesting to see whether Rohit Sharma makes his return to the T20I side or the selectors hand over the responsibility to an experienced player such as Ravindra Jadeja or a youngster.

Meanwhile, according to a report in The Indian Express fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will be rested for the three-match affair as the selectors want them to be fit for the five Tests against England beginning from January 25.