Virat Kohli. (AFP Photo)

MUMBAI: Contrary to highly speculative small talk that split captaincy could be the way forward when the selectors sit down to pick the squad for the tour of West Indies, there is no such plan in place at all right now.

Virat Kohli, the world's most valuable batsman across all formats in the game, will lead India in the One-Day Internationals, T20s and Tests when India tours the Caribbean next month. "Sunday will be the day to put all this nonsense to rest once and for all," say those in the know.

India last had split captains for Tests and ODIs in 2016 when MS Dhoni led in the white-ball format while Kohli led the team in Tests. Earlier, from November 2007 to October 2008, Anil Kumble was the Test captain and Dhoni was the captain in ODIs and T20s. But there has been a theory that split captaincy does not work in India.

MSK to chair selection meet

It was a chaotic and confusing Thursday in Indian cricket circles. In the absence of BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary, who cannot leave Ranchi thanks to an ongoing court case, the rules had to be tweaked to allow the chief selector to convene the meeting. MSK Prasad, who heads the selection committee, will now chair the meeting in Mumbai and also convene it on Sunday.

The selectors are also awaiting fitness reports of all the players. TOI had reported that all-rounder Hardik Pandya is likely to take a break from the series to tend to an over-worked back while pacer Jasprit Bumrah will seek a break from the white-ball formats and return afresh for the Test series.

On Sunday, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) directed on Thursday that the chairman of selectors will replace BCCI's general secretary as the convener of selection meetings, continuing the reforms mandated by the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Panel.

Ahead of tours, selection committee meetings, in fact, will be convened by an administrative manager and the present secretary's (Choudhary) role from here on will be nonfunctional.

The CoA took this call on Thursday, two days after the TOI report on the legal mess surrounding Choudhary in the Jharkhand High Court and his anticipatory bail not being accepted by the court.

In fact, the CoA has also gone a step further and directed that from now on, the secretary will not be allowed to attend any selection meeting and his approval too won't be necessary to clear any replacements that are needed in the team.

Meanwhile, Team India is very sure that the tour of West Indies will be played with the same levels of energy and commitment as any other series/tours in the recent past. "Last year, we played in South Africa, England and Australia. Before that, we played Sri Lanka. Now, we're headed to the West Indies.

"There are matches against Bangladesh followed by the tour of New Zealand. In 24 months, we're up against all Test playing teams.

"That's the challenge we're looking at and at no time will there be any let down in intensity," said sources.

The tour of West Indies will mark the beginning of the ICC's Test Championship cycle, as will the Ashes that are scheduled to begin in England next month and no team will be expected to take any bilateral tours lightly anymore.

MAJOR COUNTRIES THAT OPTED FOR SPLIT CAPTAINCY

INDIA

o MS Dhoni for ODIs and T20s; Anil Kumble for Tests from November 2007 to October 2008

o MS Dhoni for ODIs and T20s; Virat Kohli for Tests from January 2015 to January 2017

ENGLAND

o Adam Holliaoke for ODIs; Alec Stewart for Tests June 1997 to March 1998

o Alastair Cook for ODIs; Andrew Strauss for Tests June 2011 to June 2012

o Eoin Morgan for ODIs; Alastair Cook for Tests January 2015 to December 2016

o Eoin Morgan for ODIs; Joe Root for Tests January 2017 to present

AUSTRALIA

o Steve Waugh for ODIs; Mark Taylor for Tests from December 1997 to January 1999

o Ricky Ponting for ODIs; Steve Waugh for Tests from March 2002 to January 2004

SOUTH AFRICA

o Graeme Smith for Tests; AB de Villiers for ODIs April 2011 to March 2014

o Hashim Amla for Tests; AB de Villiers for ODIS June 2014 to January 2016

