The much-anticipated India squad for the prestigious World T20, which is set to be played in the country in March, will be announced by the BCCI on Friday. The squad for the Asia Cup, which will be played in Bangladesh just prior to the World T20, will also be announced on the same day, with the selctors set to meet in New Delhi.
The meeting, as expected, will be chaired by head of selection panel, Sandeep Patil, who will try to find the best combination that can help India, not only lift the Asia Cup, but also the World T20 for the second time in nation's history.
"The meeting has been scheduled on February 5 at Delhi to pick the teams for the Asia Cup and World T20 events," PTI quoted Cricket Board sources as saying.
It was only a few days ago that the selection committee sat down before picking the team for the upcoming three-matchT20 series against Sri Lanka, which is set to begin from Tuesday. Virat Kohli was rested for the series and is set to play a major role in the Asia Cup.
Hence, the selectors are more or less going to feature a strong team in the Asia Cup -- unless they want to give some players the much-needed rest -- as it is also one of the prestigious tournaments. The senior pros – Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra – made a comeback in the T20 series against Australia. Nehra and Yuvraj did fairly well and are expected to be retained in the side for both the mega competitions.
But Harbhajan's inclusion in the squad is a subject of speculation, as the bowler, who did not feature in a single match in Australia, might be dropped. The selectors included Pawan Negi in the T20 series against Sri Lanka. Negi's inclusion may not necessarily be a negative indicator for Harbhajan, who could play an important role in the sub-continental conditions.
Other players such as Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina will definitely be picked for the World T20. It remains to be seen if the selectors want to rest some of the big names for the Asia Cup, ahead of the World T20 to keep them fresh.
