The official list of Indian teams for the Champions Trophy has been delayed and this was reported by a cricket agency on Saturday. Firstly, it was anticipated that the BCCI selection committee, under its head Ajit Agarkar would announce the list for the home ODI and T20 series against England and the preliminary team for the Champions Trophy by January 12. But now the announcement has been postponed.
The suspension certainly seems to be motivated as the BCCI has asked the ICC for more time to sort the team. Regarding the tournament specifications, the teams are supposed to name a preliminary list of players at least one month before an ICC event. But for the Champions Trophy, the ICC had wanted all eight teams to submit their probable list four to five weeks prior to the beginning othe f event.
Some of the latest engagements include the Test series in Australia, and on this basis, the BCCI has requested an extension. Some of its formation will come from the three one-day internationals against England, giving selectors more time and chance to assess the players before the final selection.
The provisional squad is now likely to be made on 19 January, a month before the start of the Champions Trophy. The event will start on February 19, and the opening match will be held in Karachi, with Pakistan going head-to-head with New Zealand.
The 15 players will be the core team, soon to be increased with three additional travelling reserve players as ICC rules recommend. Teams are free to alter a squad before a competition starts, but the list announced sometime on January 19 is likely to be India’s final list of players for the championship, except in the unlikely event of injury.
This slightly adjusts the selectors’ time to decide on form, fitness and pairings so that India puts up its best Team for the coveted tournament.
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