With WTC points at stake, India to field full-strength squad for Test series in South Africa | Cricket News

With World Test Championship points on the line, a full-strength squad is likely to be picked for the longest format when the squads for the tour of South Africa are selected in New Delhi on Thursday.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) senior selection committee will pick four teams which includes India A, India T20I team, India ODI team and Indian Test team for the tour of the Rainbow Nation.
Virat Kohli has already informed the Indian board that he won’t be available for the white-ball leg of the tour but will play the two-Test series in Centurion and Cape Town starting December 26.

The selection committee is likely to put more emphasis on Test cricket and a full-strength squad will be available. South Africa remains the final frontier for India as they have never won a Test series there. A triumph there will also boost India’s prospects for a third successive appearance in the World Test Championship final.
It is still not clear whether India captain Rohit Sharma has also asked for a break from white-ball cricket, like Kohli. But he will be available for the Tests later on the tour.
India will play three T2OIs, three ODIs and two Tests, and the first batch of players will depart from Bengaluru on December 6.
India team in a huddle during WTC final 2023 in Oval. (FILE)
With Hardik Pandya not available for the trip, it will be interesting to see whether the selection committee continues with Suryakumar Yadav as the T20 captain or that responsibility will be given to a more senior player. That will depend largely on the composition of the white-ball squads. Surya is currently leading the Indian team in the T20I series against Australia at home.
With several players coming off a hectic and emotionally-draining 50-over World Cup, the selection committee is mindful of their workload. So they are likely to ensure that no player is fielded in all formats. The board wants to especially protect the bowling attack and is mindful of not overusing them. The Indian team has arguably the best pace attack in the world featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.
The selectors will also discuss whether Kohli should be given a warm-up game before the Test matches as he will be coming back after a break of more than a month.
A few key players will be part of the India A team too, especially those who won’t be picked in the T20I side. It is understood that players will be rotated across formats and enough breaks will be given between games.

Meanwhile, selection committee chairman Ajit Agarkar met head coach Rahul Dravid in Bengaluru and discussed the roadmap going ahead. The Indian board on Wednesday extended the tenures of Dravid along with those of Paras Mhambrey (bowling coach), Vikram Rathour (batting coach) and fielding coach T Dilip.
Visa application for 45 players
The Indian board had already applied for 45 Indian players’ visas for South Africa in order to ensure that players reach there as per schedule. The India A side will be coached Sitanshu Kotak and Troy Cooley and VVS Laxman, who has taken over coaching duties for the ongoing T20I series against Australia, will head back to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.