Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), stated that they would always have 50 players on their pool because they want two India National Cricket Teams prepared at the same time. The Indian National Cricket Team has a busy calendar ahead of them, with two World Cups, the Asia Cup, WTC games, and various bilateral cricket matches.
For the first time in 2021, India played two series in two different locations at the same time. When Virat Kohli‘s India faced England, a second team led by Shikhar Dhawan was playing in Sri Lanka. This was the first time in Indian cricket history that the country was represented by two separate teams.
“I have had discussions with NCA head VVS Laxman and we will always have 50 players in our roster. In future, you will have a scenario, where the Indian Test team will be playing a series in one country and the white-ball team will be engaged in a series in a different country. We are going in that direction where we will have two national teams ready at the same time,” Jay Shah told PTI.
The attempt in 2021 seemed to work successfully, as viewers were able to follow up with both series’ events, despite the fact that they weren’t taking place at the same time. Shikhar Dhawan led the secondary team for India’s tour of Sri Lanka, which ended on July 29, 2021. Virat Kohli and Team India’s A-String, on the other hand, did not begin their Test tour of England until August 4.
Jay Shah also revealed that the next ICC FTP calendar will have a two-and-a-half-month window for the marquee Indian Premier League.