Two Indian teams will soon be seen playing in different places. While the main squad is in England for the inaugural World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand and five Tests against England, another team will play a limited-overs series against Sri Lanka in July. And, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) treasurer Arun Dhumal on Wednesday said that playing two different squads in different locations can become a norm amid this crunch time of the COVID-19 pandemic as it gives the chance to play more bilateral series as well.

However, Shikhar Dhawan will lead the second-string Indian team in Sri Lanka, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar playing his deputy as well.

“It is a definite possibility that India could play another limited overs tour with a younger squad while the main team players are playing elsewhere or need a break. The COVID-19 related restrictions also need to be factored in,” Dhumal told PTI.

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He continued: “It (two India squads) also shows the solid bench strength of the Indian team and gives us an opportunity to organise more bilateral cricket and help other boards which are facing financial challenges amid the pandemic. It is imperative to come up with new ideas to deal with the loss of bilateral cricket that has happened over the last 18 months.”

Meanwhile, India have handed maiden call-ups to as many as six players for the Sri Lanka tour comprising three ODIs and as many T20 Internationals, starting from July 13 in Colombo.

Meanwhile, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said that India should play with both their key spinners – Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin against New Zealand in the inaugural World Test Championship final in Southampton as its “boiling hot” weather will help the pitch dries up and assists spinners as well. Notably, the summit clash will begin on June 18.

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“In Southampton, it’s been boiling hot over the last few days so the pitch will definitely be dry and help spin as the match progresses, so yes both Ashwin and Jadeja will play,” Gavaskar told PTI in an exclusive interview. “That (Ashwin and Jadeja together) also gives depth to the batting as well as give a fine balance to the bowling attack. For the series later (vs England) much will depend on the weather and pitch conditions.”