Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma wanted to take a long break from BCCI.© X (Twitter)
India captain Rohit Sharma and top-order batsman Virat Kohli are likely to be rested for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in August, with either Hardik Pandya or KL Rahul likely to be called upon to lead the team. India pacer Jasprit Bhumara is also likely to be rested for the ODI series. It has been reported that the biggest modern-day stars of Indian cricket have been asked to take a rather long break by the BCCI, given the tough times they have had in the past three months since the start of the IPL. For the 37-year-old Rohit, it has been almost six months since he took a break.
The Mumbai team has participated in every series since the South Africa Test series in December-January, followed by the Afghanistan T20Is, England Test series, IPL and the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
“Both are automatically selected in the ODI set-up and three 50-over matches against England before the Champions Trophy will be enough practice for them. Both teams will prioritise Tests in the coming months while India will play 10 matches between September and January,” a BCCI source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
India will play two Test matches against Bangladesh, then three Tests against New Zealand before taking on Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, a five-Test series.
It is a well-known fact that both recruiters and seniors want to manage their workload wisely.
“The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played in mid-February and they don’t have to play three ODIs in Sri Lanka over a week. They are welcome to do so but they will probably want to rest,” the source added.
In Rohit’s absence, Pandya appears to be the most likely choice, but KL Rahul, who led the ODI squad in South Africa, cannot be ruled out either.
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