'Summer vacation bananey ja rahe hai' - Fans react as chief selector Ajit Agarkar set to travel to West Indies to discuss 2023 World Cup road map

Ajit Agarkar (Source: Twitter)

Reportedly, Ajit Agarkar, the newly appointed chairman of the Indian cricket team selection committee, is set to fly to West Indies to meet head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma over plans for the 2023 ODI World Cup. Team India is currently touring West Indies for a multi-format tour. Rohit and Co. registered a thumping victory in the first Test in Dominica and are now aiming to seal the series with a win in Trinidad.

With the 50-over World Cup less than three months away, the ODI series against Windies and the subsequent Asia Cup will be crucial preparations for the Men in Blue. The mega event will kick off on October 5 at the Narendra Modi Stadium and India will begin their campaign against Australia on October 8.

The Indian Cricket Board will want to finalise a core group of players for the World Cup. Agarkar is expected to join the team and have face-to-face talks with Dravid and Rohit ahead of the ODI series starting on July 27. This will be the first meeting of the former India pacer with the Indian players after taking charge as the chief selector.

"Currently Salil Ankola is in the West Indies but he will be back after the Test series gets over. Ajit will be joining the team before the start of the white ball leg," an Indian Cricket Board source in the know of things told PTI.

The fitness of key players will be one of the focal points of discussion

Injuries to key players like Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant have become a headache for the selectors. While Pant will need more time to recover from injuries after a horrible accident in last December, Bumrah, Iyer, and Rahul have begun their practice and are expected to return shortly.

Bumrah is reported to make a comeback to international cricket during the T20I series against Ireland in August. The right-arm speedster has started bowling full-throttle at the National Cricket Academy but is yet to receive a fitness certificate. Agarkar and team management will have a detailed discussion regarding Bumrah's fitness and if he would be able to travel to Ireland.

Here's how the fans reacted to reports of Ajit Agarkar heading to the West Indies:

Bahut paisa hain,

Virtually nahi hota hain na yeh sab

— CA JAYESH RATHOD (@CAJayeshRathod) July 18, 2023

Yeah video conferencing p baat ho ni skti
Udao udao paisa

— balbir badyal (@balbirbadyal300) July 18, 2023

roadmap for another heartbreak

— pavanteja reddy (@pavanteja_reddy) July 18, 2023

Road map is done at least 2 years before an event.
If it's fine 2-3 months before the event, it's called a pleasure trip.

— tweettrombone1 (@tweettrombone1) July 18, 2023

He is going to enjoy beaches. Road map can be discussed over a video call as well!!

— The FPL Monk (@ThinkingFpl) July 18, 2023

It is useful for u only ,no road map just every one knew they selected based on their favourism only ,stop this dramas 🙄

— Human (@Human4567832) July 18, 2023

He's going for enjoying tender coconut and Caribbean beaches. Virtually can be done

— Sayed (@Sayed_17Apr2015) July 18, 2023

Kyon galat tweet karte ho,
Inlands par summer vacation bananey ja rahe hai team ke saath😎

— Shoeb शोएब شوعيب (@themdshoeb) July 18, 2023

Do it over a Zoom call or Google Meet! Don't travel too far.

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) July 18, 2023

"ROADMAP!"
I hope they are also going to discuss whether to use MapMyIndia or GoogleMaps regarding which 'road' to take from stadium to hotel if they lose the World Cup! 🫣

— Dr. Devashish Palkar (@psychidiaries) July 18, 2023