New Delhi: India’s squad for the upcoming tour of England is set to be picked in two weeks’ time, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia confirmed the development to TimesofIndia.com.“The team will be picked in two weeks’ time,” says Saikia.As TOI.com had reported earlier, the Indian cricket board has already prepared a pool and logistics for some India A players have already begun. The A squad, which will be featuring in three four-day games before the Test series begins on June 20, is very likely to leave for England on May 25. The players who would be busy with their franchise commitments in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) will be joining the squad later. The Test squad departure is likely in the first week of June as some players are likely to feature in the second four-day game, which precedes the intra-squad fixture scheduled for the second week of June.It is reliably learnt that some senior players want to have a hit in one of the unofficial Tests, not the intra-squad game, before the series opener but that would depend on how far their respective team goes in the ongoing IPL coupled with necessary clearances from the medical team. Since it’s a long tour, the Indian cricket board wants to ensure that the players are well rested and recovered after a gruelling season of the IPL.This could well mean that the Test squad players will leave in batches in the first week of June. Even for the tour of Australia, players left in batches. Both Dhruv Jurel and KL Rahul, who were part of the Test squad, were flown in early to play the second unofficial Test vs Australia A, to get much-needed game time.Similar drill could be followed this time around, too, especially for the players who are yet to have a taste of England in their career.
