The national selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, is expected to choose identical squads for both the five-match T20I series against New Zealand and the ICC T20 World Cup, according to a BCCI source on Friday.
Although the schedule for the global event is still pending, the 20-team tournament is tentatively scheduled to begin on February 7.
ICC tournament rules require teams to submit their final 15-member squad a month before the tournament begins. The selection committee will announce their squad, with the option to make changes until a specified cut-off date.
This rule was also in place for the 2024 edition held in the Americas, which India won under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy.
The New Zealand T20I series, starting January 21, will be the
last series before the T20 World Cup.
“With only 10 T20Is left before the T20 World Cup, you won’t see many changes in the main squad unless there are injuries,” a source familiar with the developments told PTI on condition of anonymity.
“Continuity is a major reason, and the 15 chosen for the series against the Black Caps won’t be altered due to the short turnaround time.”
The five T20Is against New Zealand will be held in Nagpur (January 21), Raipur (January 23), Guwahati (January 25), Vizag (January 28), and Trivandrum (January 31).
It is anticipated that the South Africa T20I series will be the last opportunity for Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav to evaluate a few players before the New Zealand series, which will serve as a dress rehearsal for the marquee event.
While injuries are beyond control, the selection panel is unlikely to make changes to the named squad later, as seen during the Champions Trophy in Dubai earlier this year.
The original Champions Trophy squad included Yashasvi Jaiswal. Still, due to the conditions in Dubai and the need for a mystery spinner, Varun Chakravarthy was brought in during the preceding series against England.
Jaiswal was eventually dropped after being picked in the initial 15, a precedent that was not encouraging.
(With PTI Inputs)
