The BCCI is yet to name Team India’s squad for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, slated to start on January 19 in Paarl.
Meanwhile, a PTI report suggests that the board has decided to delay the selection committee meeting for the ODIs till the end of this month to get a clear picture on new white-ball skipper Rohit Sharma's left-hamstring injury status.
Rohit has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) but it could still take some time for him to regain full fitness.
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"The team selection meeting will happen after the first Test. It could be on December 30 or 31st but the BCCI is yet to take a final call. Rohit is pulling all stops to get fit but hamstring injuries are a bit different from other injuries.
"It has been learnt that Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel are unavailable for selection. About Rohit, a call will be taken closer to the selection date," a senior BCCI official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Earlier, the selection meeting was supposed to be held soon after the Vijay Hazare Trophy but it has been pushed back only to ensure that Rohit gets a chance to clear the fitness test.
In case, Rohit fails to recover then KL Rahul will be leading India for the first time in a bilateral series.
"It could well happen that Rohit is not fit by the time of selection cut-off but then with the first ODI still three weeks away, he could get enough time to be with the team and regain full fitness closer to the date.
"In that case, he can be selected subject to fitness. These are things that chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma needs to check," the official said.
As of now, the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Venkatesh Iyer will reportedly pick themselves in the Indian ODI squad thanks to their brilliant exploits in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021.
Tamil Nadu’s Shahrukh Khan, who has impressed one and all as a finisher during the List A tournament, might come up for discussion as well.
Despite his poor run of form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan may find a place in the squad.
(With PTI inputs)
