The BCCI has shortlisted 20 players who will be part of 2023 Men's World Cup. At the review meeting with the brain trust of Indian cricket, the BCCI has decided that these players will be rotated so that proper preparation is ensured before the 2023 World Cup, which will be held in India.

In attendance for the meeting were Rahul Dravid, skipper Rohit Sharma, chief selector Chetan Sharma and NCA head VVS Laxman, all of whom brainstormed for nearly four hours in a city hotel in Mumbai and arrived at key decisions, including prioritising bilateral and international cricket. BCCI president Roger Binny attended the meeting through video conferencing.

"It was a very constructive and fruitful meeting where we have reviewed the past performance and planned for the future events, including World Cup and World Test Championship (WTC). We will give preference for international cricket while making sure the IPL is not diluted," a BCCI source, who attended the meeting, said.

"The issues of player availability, workload management and fitness parameters were also discussed at length during the meeting along with the roadmap to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023," the BCCI said.

Among the decisions taken, BCCI said that the National Cricket Academy (NCA) will "work in tandem with the IPL Franchisee to monitor the targeted Indian players participating in the IPL 2023", emphasizing the unit as the nodal centre for the fitness of Indian players.

There will also be no compromise on the fitness aspect with Yo-Yo test being the chief criteria. "The Yo-Yo Test and Dexa will now be part of selection criteria and implemented in the customized roadmaps of the central pool of players," the BCCI said in a statement after the meeting.

The fact that the meeting was convened on the very first day of the new year is indicative of the sense of urgency and seriousness towards the team and its engagements for the year. The failure to reach the final of the Asia Cup and Twenty20 World Cup last year, and the 10-wicket defeat to England in the semifinal in Australia, have been viewed with utmost seriousness, and the think tank wants to make sure there is no repetition of such results in this year's World Cup, which India will be hosting.

The focus of the think tank will be on the players taking part in the IPL. The BCCI said it will work in tandem with the IPL franchises to monitor the targeted Indian players participating in IPL 2023, effectively stating that it will control the participation of Indian players in the league.

Tags :ICC World Cup 2023