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Board of Control for Cricket in India hasn’t really announced the squad yet for the coming ODI series against England, still pending. While the board has recently put out squads for the Ireland and England T20I series, plus the Asian Games, the ODI team is still waitin around.

 

India are due to play a three match ODI series against England in July. the games are set for Birmingham, Cardiff and London on July 14, 16 and 19 though.

 

As per reports, the selection committee will name the ODI squad later this month during India’s ongoing ODI series against Afghanistan, seems like that’s the plan.

 

Selectors still waiting for fitness updates

 

A big part of the delay is basically the fitness situation of a few senior players. India have had injury concerns pop up around Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli before an important stretch of international cricket.

 

Virat Kohli has already been ruled out of the ODI series against Afghanistan, because of a hamstring issue. The selectors then brought in Yashasvi Jaiswal as his replacement in the squad.

 

Now the team management is just watching how Kohli recovers, before making a final call on whether he’s included for the England run. During the squad announcement press conference, the chief selector said there’s hope Kohli might be fit by then, but at this point no decision can be made, full stop.

 

Rohit Sharma is also working towards full fitness, the senior opener is expected to report to the BCCI Centre of Excellence for a fitness assessment before returning to action.

 

And there was also some good news around Hardik Pandya. The all rounder got a fitness clearance from the BCCI Centre of Excellence on June 6, so he’s now available for selection.

 

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Afghanistan series comes first, then England

 

Before the trip to England, India will first play a three match ODI series against Afghanistan, starting on June 13.

 

Shubman Gill will captain the side in that series, while Shreyas Iyer has been named vice captain. This stretch is also giving a stage to a few new faces.

 

Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav have earned their maiden India call ups after solid domestic showings. The selectors will keep a close eye on how they perform, as they try to build squad depth for upcoming assignments.

 

Plus, the Afghanistan series may help the management judge players properly, before finalising the squad for England.

 

Busy schedule ahead for India

 

India basically have a packed international calendar coming up. After the EnglandODI series in July, they’ll host West Indies for an ODI series in September, before heading to New Zealand later in the year for matches across all three formats.

 

With those major tours coming, the selectors are expected to be extra careful while putting together the England squad. Fitness, form and overall team balance will likely decide a lot in the final selection.

 

For now though, it’s still Afghanistan all the way, as India get ready for another key challenge on the road to the England tour.