The BCCI selectors are reportedly set to meet next week to finalize the roadmap for India’s upcoming assignments in international cricket. The most recent assignment will be facing Afghanistan in a one-off test starting June 6 and then playing them in three ODIs.
The focus of the meeting is said to be on finding alternate fast bowlers as the workload management of India’s premier bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, will be in discussion.
As per the Times of India report, the team management and selectors have stated that they want to field the best XI in each Test. Over the next nine months, India will play nine Test matches as part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. But that cycle does not include the test against Afghanistan.
With the IPL 2026 concluding on May 31, the primary conundrum at hand is whether to push the frontline pacers for the Test. Before deciding on the pace-bowling attack, the selectors are waiting to see which teams advance to the playoffs. MI and LSG are the two teams eliminated from the IPL playoffs.
The only fast bowler from these two sides who regularly plays in Test matches is Jasprit Bumrah. But his workload has been a sensitive topic in recent years.
The other two pacers, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, are with the Gujarat Titans, who are set to qualify for the playoffs, which will be played in the last week of May. Furthermore, neither Akash Deep nor Harshit Rana is fit yet. Akash suffered a back injury and is yet to regain full fitness.
On the other hand, Harshit suffered a knee injury before the T20 World Cup and will be fit only in the third week of June. The report also stated that Mohammad Shami is not in contention for an India comeback, as selectors have made it clear that they have moved on from the Bengal pacer.
The report added that the fast bowlers on the BCCI's targeted list have been asked to boost their workload for the rest of the IPL. Anshul Kamboj and Gurnoor Brar have been members of India's 'A' plan for the past year.
The only other pacer who can compete for a spot is Jammu and Kashmir's Auqib Nabi, who has had a fantastic couple of seasons in first-class cricket.
“The selectors don’t believe in compromising the Test squad just because India is playing Afghanistan. They want the best lineup to play. They don’t want to distribute test caps so easily. Siraj’s workload threshold is very high. Prasidh hasn’t played an IPL match since April 24.
Nitish Kumar Reddy is also seen as someone who can contribute to the seam-bowling department. The BCCI monitors all data points when it comes to workload management. A call on Bumrah will be made after a detailed discussion. The last time India played Afghanistan in a Test match, the frontline XI was played,” the BCCI source told the Times of India.
All frontline batters, though, are expected to be picked for the one-off Test.
