IND vs AFG 2023: Hardik Pandya set to lead new-look Indian team, biggies to be rested - Reports
IND vs AFG: Pandya set to lead new-look Indian team, biggies to be rested
Afghanistan will tour India for a short three-match ODI series following the World Test Championship 2023 Final. While the schedule of the Afghanistan series is not announced yet, latest reports suggest the selectors will rest some of the biggies - including regular captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Mohammed Siraj.
Hardik Pandya will lead the new-look Indian team.
As quoted in the PTI, the selection committee will pick a second-string squad for the Afghanistan series, which could take place before India’s tour of the West Indies in early July. While earlier, there were talks of the series getting scrapped because of the limited window, the board will now go ahead with it.
With all first-team players gearing up for the WTC Final against Australia and looking at the cramped schedule ahead of the 2023 World Cup later this year, the board has decided to manage the workload of the top names in the circuit.
While the ongoing IPL 2023 is consuming for each of them in its way, the Indian team has a long tour of the West Indies after that – that include two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is from July 12th to August 13th. The Men in Blue will then travel to Ireland for a three-match T20Is before getting ready for the Asia Cup – whose future is also in limbo.
ACC board members are also expected to be in India this weekend for the IPL final, and this is where the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) President, Mirwais Ashraf and BCCI secretary Jay Shah could sit together and decide on the dates for the mini-white-ball series.
Kohli, and Rohit could be rested for the Ireland series
Following IPL 2023, where around a handful of young players, like every year, emerged as top performers, they will be given an extended run on the Ireland tour. Some names that are on BCCI’s radar looking at next year’s T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies are Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh and Tilak Varma.
As a result, the board might consider resting some of the top players like Virat, Rohit and Shami for this series with one eye on the Asia Cup, which will take place during the August-September window.
However, after that, Australia will travel to India for a short white-ball series, and then the 2023 Men’s World Cup begins on October 5th – whose schedule will also be announced after the end of IPL 2023.
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