With less than two months to go for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman, preparations are already in progress for the international teams.
While some sides are playing T20I series to fine-tune their combination, Team India are relying on the upcoming second phase of IPL 2021 to get the much-needed practice for the global tournament.
Virat Kohli and company are currently in England for a five-match Test series that will conclude on September 14, just five days prior to the start of rescheduled IPL.
Meanwhile, a PTI report suggests that skipper Kohli and BCCI officials recently had a discussion regarding the roadmap for the forthcoming T20 World Cup.
Virat is yet to win an ICC trophy as a leader and his captaincy future hinges on the team's performance in marquee event, slated to be played from October 17 to November 14.
According to the report, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, secretary Jay Shah and vice-president Rajiv Shukla had an informal meeting with Kohli during the second Test match at Lord's and various aspects related to T20 World Cup came up for discussion.
"Yes, BCCI top bosses did meet Kohli but let's say that it will not be fair to divulge the finer details of the discussion. But with very little time left for the T20 World Cup and India not having any games prior to the (IPL), discussion was more about the roadmap going into the event," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
With the squad selection due for some time next month, there are a number of issues that needs to be addressed including bowling workloads, all-rounder's position, wrist spinners and the like for like replacements.
There are a few questions that chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma, skipper Kohli, coaches Ravi Shastri and Bharat Arun along with BCCI top brass need to be on same page to pick a squad that can challenge top T20I sides like West Indies and England.
While Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav are not in the white-balls selection reckoning anymore, managing Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah's workload will be a big challenge keeping the IPL in mind.
If Bumrah and Shami are available for selection then it will be interesting to see how the team management fits n-form pacers Deepak Chahar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the same XI. Mohammed Siraj's red ball form may also earn him a call-up in the T20 World Cup squad.
Among other selection dilemma is the third spinner to join Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja in the squad. Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Rahul Chahar are among the options.
It also remains to be seen who makes it to the playing XI between Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer.
The BCCI would hope that captain Kohli and the Chetan Sharma-led selection panel would soon be on same page as Indian team is eyeing its first ICC title since 2013.
(With PTI inputs)
