Indian skipper Virat Kohli had opted to play County Cricket ahead of India’s England tour and by doing so, he will miss India’s one-off inaugural Test against Afghanistan.
With Virat Kohli out, it has been learnt that ‘dependable’ Ajinkya Rahane will lead the Indian squad. India vs Afganistan Test will be played from June 14-18 in Bengaluru.
On May 8, India’s selection committee will pick as many as six squads – India ‘A’ for England tour, Indian squad for three-match One Day Internationals (ODI) and three-match T20Is against England, India squad for two T20s against Ireland and India A team for tri-series against England A and West Indies A.
Though Virat Kohli will not be the part of India’s squad for Afghanistan Test, Virat will be available for two-match T20I series against Ireland.
Indian cricket team will play three ODIs, three T20Is and five Tests match series in England.
As per reports in media, KL Rahul, Murali Vijay, Dinesh Karthik and Krunal Pandya can be picked for India A squad.
“Expect Pandya to be part of India’s T20 team, the way he’s been going about with his game,” a senior BCCI official told The Times of India.
Wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik has impressed the selector with his performances in the final of recently concluded Nidahas Trophy 2018.
“Expect the batsmen to get a lot of playing hours and a very balanced work-chart for the pacers,” the official added.