Former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha has expressed his views on the decision to rest Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the last two ODIs against West Indies. Although India won the series 2-1, Ojha believes that the purpose behind resting the senior players was not fully achieved.
The rest of Kohli and Rohit just before the World Cup has been a topic of debate and has not been well-received by the Indian cricket community and fans, who feel that the team’s dependence on these players was evident during their absence.
In the first ODI, India lost five wickets while chasing down 115, and in the second ODI, their batting lineup struggled and was bowled out for 181. Ojha emphasized the importance of pacing the innings and suggested that the young players given opportunities should learn how to do so in a 50-over game.
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Regarding the upcoming World Cup, Ojha stressed the significance of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer in the squad. Rahul is reportedly fit and available for selection for the Asia Cup, which will be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30 to September 17.
Ojha believes that both Rahul and Iyer are crucial for India in the World Cup and the Asia Cup, and he expects them to be considered for the team. He mentioned that both players could solve the batting conundrum at numbers four and five, with Iyer batting at four and Rahul at five in the World Cup.
According to Ojha, both players possess the required consistency, experience, form, and the ability to contribute to the team’s success. The team is looking for players to fill the crucial batting positions at number four and number five, where they have faced challenges in the past.