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India (Source: Twitter)
India managed to make the tour of South Africa a success by winning the ODI series and sharing the T20I and Test trophies with the hosts. They are next onto a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan starting on January 11 in Mohali. The bilateral series is of great importance for the Men in Blue as it is their last T20I assignment before the 2024 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the USA and West Indies in June.
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According to reports, the Ajit Agarkar-led Team India selection committee will announce the squad for the series on Friday, January 5. The main focus of the press conference will be whether senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be in the team. The batting stalwarts are understood to have informed the Indian Cricket Board of their interest in playing the shortest format.
Notably, both Kohli and Rohit have not played a single T20I match since India's semi-final loss to England in the 2022 World Cup. With the World Cup around the corner, they are keen to make a comeback. There were reports that the selection committee will speak to head coach Rahul Dravid and the two cricketers during the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town. It will be interesting to see if both of them will be back in the team for the Afghanistan series.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj likely to be rested
Meanwhile, there are reports that India may rest fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj for the series against Afghanistan. Both were the driving force behind India's historic win in Cape Town. Siraj singlehandedly destroyed the Proteas batting line-up with a six-wicket haul in the first innings and became the Player of the Match. On the other hand, Bumrah, who grabbed six wickets in the second innings, won the Player of the Series.
The star duo is likely to make a comeback in the five-match home Test series against England starting on January 25 in Hyderabad. It is reported that the selection committee will also pick the squad for the first two Test matches on Friday. In another important update, interim T20 captains Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav are unlikely to be available for selection.Both were injured recently and are yet to recover fully.