Agarkar to reveal Rohit Sharma's England fate on May 2nd week, Karun Nair faces threat from RCB star; Shreyas Iyer out
BCCI has reportedly narrowed down on a 35-member list, with the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee likely to announce the squad by the second week of May.
In less than a month, the Indian cricket contingent will be flying to England for an arduous red-ball tour. The campaign will comprise tour games for India A before the Indian cricket contingent takes on the Ben Stokes-led side in a five-match series. This will mark the beginning of the 2025/27 World Test Championship cycle. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly narrowed down on a 35-member list, split between the India 'A' and Test teams, with the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee likely to announce the squad by the second week of May.
According to a report in the Times of India, Rohit Sharma, whose position in the Test team has been under speculation following a forgettable red-ball run between September 2024 and January 2025, has been shortlisted for both the India A and Test squads. The 37-year-old scored only 155 runs in 13 innings during the period, at 10.93, with a solitary half-century score. The tally included his underwhelming show in Australia, where he amassed only 31 runs in five innings.
Despite the poor show, the report added that the selectors are not yet ready to move on from Rohit as captain on such a significant tour. "Rohit is most likely to travel as the board feels that one needs a strong captain through the series, which is likely to be as tough as the Australia tour," a BCCI source told the national daily.
Karun Nair vs RCB star for Test spot
Nair had a sensational Ranji Trophy season in 2024/25, where he scored 863 runs at 53.94, including four centuries. He played a crucial role in Vidarbha winning their third title. However, he still isn't certain of a spot in the middle order as he is likely to be pitted against Rajat Patidar, who is currently leading the Royal Challengers Bengaluru side in the IPL 2025. The report added that the two could be tested in the India A series, which starts within a week of the IPL ending on May 25.
Notably, Patidar played three Test matches for India last year, scoring just 63 runs, before he was dropped. In the previous Ranji Trophy season, he scored 529 runs for Madhya Pradesh, in seven innings, including a 68-ball century.
"With regard to the middle-order, the team management has shown very little confidence in Sarfaraz Khan's ability. Nair and Patidar are seasoned red-ball players and are in fine form. It is likely at least one of them will be in the India 'A' team," the source added.
The report also added that while Sai Sudharsan will likely be considered a third opener, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel will miss the cut. "As for Iyer, he was dropped last year based on his poor returns in Test cricket. A final call is yet to be taken," the BCCI source said.
In another significant move, Kuldeep Yadav is set to replace Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired during the Australia tour. Meanwhile, the selectors are not quite happy with Mohammed Siraj's failure to step up in the absence of senior pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
