Ajit Agarkar's 'Final' Selection Meeting May Hand KL Rahul Bigger Leadership Role

Seasoned KL Rahul could be named India's vice-captain for the upcoming three-match ODI series against the West Indies, starting September 27. India, to be led by Shubman Gill, will begin the ODI campaign against the Caribbeans in Thiruvananthapuram, while the remaining two matches will be held in Guwahati (September 30) and Mullanpur (October 3). The team for the West Indies series, along with the Irani Cup squad, is scheduled to be picked on September 16, a day after the second T20I against Afghanistan. The meeting will be attended by chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar.

Interestingly, this selection meeting will be Agarkar's last assignment in his stipulated contract period, which ends on October 4. He is eligible for a one-year extension, but as of now, the BCCI has been tight-lipped about his future.

It is understood that with the Asian Games coinciding with the ODI series against the West Indies, regular 50-over vice-captain Shreyas Iyer will not be available as he will be in Japan leading the T20 squad. With Ishan Kishan also on Asian Games duty, there will be a debate over the second wicketkeeper's slot behind Rahul.

The choice is between Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel.

"It is a choice between Pant and Jurel. Obviously, the head coach's and captain's points of view will be important," a BCCI source privy to selection matters told PTI.

It is understood that if Pant is not selected as the second keeper, he would lead the Rest of India side in the Irani Cup against Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar.

If Pant is picked for India, then Jurel might lead the Rest of India. He recently led India A in Sri Lanka.

No seam-bowling all-rounder on the horizon

The national selectors might have a tough time picking a seam-bowling all-rounder for the ODIs unless Hardik Pandya is declared fit. Hardik, who has been picked for India A, is expected to be fit to play competitive white-ball cricket from September 20, as per PTI's sources at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.

"The selectors picked Hardik for the India A one-dayers scheduled from October 6 in Puducherry. However, the West Indies ODIs will end on October 3. It will be interesting to see if Hardik is selected for the West Indies ODIs," the source said.

The pace attack, though, features a settled combination, with Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Gurnoor Brar and Prince Yadav all fit and available.

Ruturaj Gaikwad is likely to be selected in the absence of Shreyas Iyer.

Loads of fringe players injured

Injuries to several fringe players are also making the process difficult for the selection committee, which is facing a paucity of all-round options. Right now, the list of injured players includes Harsh Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Mohsin Khan, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshit Rana and Shahbaz Ahmed, all of whom are unavailable for selection for either the senior team, India A, or the Irani Cup.

All these players will be undergoing rehabilitation at the CoE in Bengaluru.

Sarfaraz, Doseja, Sangwan for Irani Cup

Mumbai domestic stalwart Sarfaraz Khan, who wasn't picked for the India A Tests against Australia A, is likely to be selected for the Rest of India side. Delhi youngsters Sanat Sangwan and Ayush Doseja, who were among the top three run-getters in the Ranji Trophy, are expected to be part of the RoI side along with Ravichandran Smaran.

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