"The India squad is selected solely based on workload management"-Selection Committee Chairman Chetan Sharma
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today announced the squads for the upcoming tours to New Zealand and Bangladesh.
While there were plenty of talking points regarding the squads, All-India Senior Selection Committee Chairman Mr. Chetan Sharma gave an overview of the process that goes into selecting the team. He suggested that workload management played a crucial role behind the thinking of his team.
The think-tank has named three different captains for the upcoming four different series - 3 T20s and 3 ODIs against New Zealand; 2 Tests and 3 ODIs against Bangladesh. Hardik Pandya, Shikhar Dhawan, and Rohit Sharma will be leading various Indian sides over the course of the tours.
In a video excerpt posted by the Indian cricket team on their Instagram handle, Chetan Sharma said:
"The selection process requires us (selection committee) to be in constant touch with the medical team to monitor workload management. We get reports which clearly specifies which player needs to be rested to ensure peak performance."
He further added:
"The selection committee, the team management and the medical team - all the three departments work in tandem to identify what's best for our players. Test players should be absolutely fresh for the upcoming Test matches."
The India squad has some interesting additions and surprising exclusions
Among some notable moves by the committee was the inclusion of Umran Malik in both the limited-overs squads against New Zealand and the appointment of Hardik Pandya as captain in the T20Is against the Kiwis.
All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is also set to make his return from injury as the BCCI announced his name in the squad for the Bangladesh tour.
Prithvi Shaw was once again ignored, while pacer Yash Dayal earned his maiden call-up for the ODIs against Bangladesh.
Some surprising exclusions were those of Hanuma Vihari from the Test squad against Bangladesh and that of wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik from all the squads.
Karthik was not picked for the New Zealand series as the selectors opted for Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson as their wicketkeeping options.