After announcing the Indian squad for the upcoming limited overs series against Australia, chairman of the national selection committee, MSK Prasad revealed that 18 players have been shortlisted for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is in talks with player’s respective Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises to manage the workload ahead of the mega-event in England and Wales.
The likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav etc are considered sure picks for the ICC tournament which is scheduled to take place from May 30 to July 14.
“We have shortlisted 18 players and we will rotate them during the World Cup. As far as workload management is concerned, it is yet to be worked out. There are discussions happening on that front and we will let you know,” Prasad told reporters after selecting various squads for the home series against Australia which starts from February 24.
Whether the IPL franchises will agree to rest top India players on their roster after paying millions to have them has been a subject of debate.
When acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary was asked this question, he admitted that the franchises have diverse views on the matter.
“If your question suggests that the franchises will be wary of resting players, it is an issue we will deal with considering it’s a World Cup year. There have been views from franchises and I am not going into specifics,” he said.
He also urged the franchises to keep the national interest in mind.
“And also considering the fact that all the franchises are Indian franchises, the interest of the country, of doing well at the highest international level, is paramount,” Choudhary added.
Meanwhile, Prasad also spoke about the wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant. He indirectly gave a hint to populous about Pant’s inclusion in the forthcoming World Cup.
While addressing to the media he said, “Prior to this [Australia series], we had two series – in New Zealand and Australia where Karthik was chosen. Since Rishabh played four Test matches, so we wanted him to get a good break. Then he played against England Lions where he did extremely well. We then sent him to play 3 T20Is. So, we want to give him a few ODIs to play before taking the final call,” said Prasad.
