Indian captain Rohit Sharma, star batsman Virat Kohli, and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah may be rested for the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in August. In this situation, Hardik Pandya or KL Rahul might be given the captaincy for the tour. It is believed that the Indian stalwarts have requested leave from the BCCI.
Rohit has not taken a break for the last six months
In fact, it has been almost six months since Rohit Sharma last took a break. The Hitman has been seen playing in every series since the Test series against South Africa played in December-January. After that, he played in the Afghanistan T20 Internationals, the England Test series, the IPL, and the recently concluded T20 World Cup. During the Sri Lanka tour, the Indian team will play three T20s (July 27-30) and an equal number of ODIs (August 2-7).
A BCCI source, speaking to PTI on the condition of anonymity, said, “Both (Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli) are natural choices for the ODI team, and three 50-over matches against England before the Champions Trophy are enough practice for them. In the next few months, both will prioritize Test matches, and India will play 10 Test matches between September and January.”
India will play two Test matches against Bangladesh, followed by three Test matches against New Zealand, and then the five-match Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia.
The source added, “The Champions Trophy will be in mid-February, and they don’t need to go to Sri Lanka for the one-week, three-match ODI series. They are welcome if they want to, but I think they will prefer to rest.” In Rohit’s absence, Pandya is the most likely option to lead the Indian team, but KL Rahul, who captained the ODI team in South Africa, is also a contender for the captaincy.