No camp before Tests

MUMBAI: There will not be any camp for the Indian team before the Test series against England. Although most players will be free during the period from the last ODI against England on December 2 in New Delhi and the first Test on December 11 in Ahmedabad, the BCCI has not yet decided on holding a camp for the Test probables.

One of the reasons is most players are active playing in the ongoing ODI series or Ranji. And some of them could be playing the Champions League from December 3 to 10.

And some more could be playing the three-day match for the Board President’s XI against England at Baroda from December 5 to 7. When contacted, a top BCCI official told DNA, “There won’t be any camp.”

Meanwhile the selectors, who will meet in Cuttack on Wednesday to pick the squad for the last two ODIs of the current one-day series, are unlikely to pick the Test squad.

“We have not yet decided whether to select the Test squad.  But we are not likely to do that,” said a selector. Almost similar was the reply of chairman of selector K Srikkanth, who reached Bhubaneswar on Tuesday night. The selectors however will pick the squad for the Board President’s XI. The squad for the first Test could be announced in Rajkot on December 7.

The selectors, one learns, are planning to rest a few players for the last two ODIs. One of them could also be MS Dhoni himself, unless the Indian skipper decides to lead the team. Dhoni, as is already known, has a busy time ahead. He will have to lead the  Super Kings team in the Champions League T 20.

However, this being the first meeting since the Dhoni’s resignation fracas, there could be some interesting discussions in the president’s chamber of the Orissa Cricket Association. The president of the OCA, incidentally, is Ranjib Biswal, a former selector himself.