BCCI’s selection meeting to pick India's squad for Sri Lanka tour postponed, team to be announced on Thursday: Reports
The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) selection meeting to pick the squads for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka has been reportedly postponed. According to reports, the selection meeting, which was supposed to take place on Wednesday, July 17, will now be held on Thursday, July 18, with the squads likely to be named on the same day.
Team India will tour Sri Lanka for three T20Is and three ODIs from July 27 to August 7. The series will be the first assignment for new coach Gautam Gambhir, who has taken over the reins from Rahul Dravid.
As per a report in Dainik Jagran, the selection meeting for the Sri Lanka tour has been postponed since there is still no clarity over who will replace Rohit Sharma as T20I captain. All-rounder Hardik Pandya and senior batter Suryakumar Yadav are the front runners to take up the key post. Meanwhile, there are also reports that Gambhir is keen on Rohit and Virat Kohli playing the ODI series.
As per another report in the Indian Express, all-rounder Pandya could miss the ODI series in Sri Lanka due to personal reasons. The 30-year-old was one of the key members of India's 2024 T20 World Cup winning squad, contributing significantly with both bat and ball.
Suryakumar Yadav or Hardik Pandya - who will be India's next T20I captain?
There have been conflicting reports in the media over who would be India's next T20I captain, with Rohit having announced his retirement from the format. A report in PTI claimed that Pandya is likely to be named captain for the T20Is in Sri Lanka. He was the vice-captain in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
"Hardik Pandya was India's T20 vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is completely fit and available for the three-match T20I series and will lead the side," a senior BCCI source was quoted as telling PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Another report in ESPNcricinfo, however, stated that Suryakumar could pip Pandya to the role due to the latter's fitness issues and workload management concerns. Pandya has had his fair share of injury issues in his career. In fact, he was ruled out of the 2023 ODI World Cup midway due to an ankle injury.
The 30-year-old returned for IPL 2024 in which he captained Mumbai Indians (MI). Pandya struggled as a leader and all-rounder but lifted himself and came up with some excellent performances in the T20 World Cup.