Following the Indian team’s disappointing display in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar series which saw them lose by 3-1, the selectors and team management have now started preparing for the next big assignment.
The Men in Blue are set to play 5-match T20I and 3-match ODI series against England at home before setting off to Dubai for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The tournament is set to commence from February 19 and will be played in a hybrid model with India’s matches taking place in UAE while the rest of the teams will play their share of matches in Pakistan.
The deadline to submit the preliminary squad for the mini World Cup is January 12 and the selectors now have less than a week’s time in their hands to finalize the squad. According to reports, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee are likely to announce the squad by January 10.
According to a report by Sportstar, the selectors are unlikely to spring too many surprises in the squad. India have not played any ODIs since the defeat in Sri Lanka last July. The report further said that all-rounder Hardik Pandya’s inclusion in the squad is expected to be a major talking point when the selectors will sit to finalize the team.
Pandya last featured for India in the one-day format during the 2023 ODI World Cup where he suffered an injury. After the World Cup, India have played 6 ODIs but Pandya didn’t play in any of those games.
To prove his fitness, the all-rounder was asked to play in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and thus, he featured for Baroda’s group stage games and will also be playing the knockout matches.
