IND v WI 2019: Rohit Sharma might be rested for home ODIs against West Indies; pressure on Dhawan as well

The selectors to meet in Kolkata on Thursday to select the team for West Indies series.

After resting Virat Kohli against South Africa, its time for Rohit Sharma to get some rest as well | AFPIndia will be facing West Indies coming December for 3 ODIS and 3 T20I matches at home. Previously, West Indies were beaten in their home by India, who cleaned out in every format in the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, if reports are to be believed, the Indian vice-captain Rohit Sharma might finally be rested for the 3-match ODI series. He has been playing non-stop for some time now, while selectors are managing the workload of bowlers and captain Virat Kohli.

The announcement will be made in Kolkata on November 21, when the MSK Prasad selection Committee meets to pick the squads for three Twenty20Is and three One-Day Internationals against the West Indies. The series starts in the city on December 6 with a T20 game.

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Given that Rohit has now become a regular in the Test matches too, the need for resting has become all the more mandatory. In this calendar year, Rohit has played more than 60 games, including 16 in the IPL, and there is a growing concern over his workload.

Though Rohit is in a good nick with the bat and does not want any rest, with the selectors focusing on the upcoming away tour of New Zealand, he may be ruled over. The batsman will be asked to skip the three ODIs (in Chennai on December 15, in Visakhapatnam on December 18 and in Cuttack on December 22) as he would have more rest than sitting out of the T20I games.  

Shikhar Dhawan, who has struggled to make runs since making his comeback after missing the best part of the 2019 World Cup due to injury. Dhawan is currently playing for Delhi in the ongoing the Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The left-handed opener may be persisted with for the West Indies games but there will be a discussion sooner or later over bringing Mayank Agarwal into the white-ball format.

But even if Rohit is rested for the ODIs, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill might be preferred over Agarwal, who was part of India’s World Cup squad as an injury replacement.

Jasprit Bumrah is not going to feature in any home games this season | GettyOn the bowling side, the selectors might not be too keen on making any changes. Jasprit Bumrah is not expected to feature in the current home season, as they want him to be 100% fit for the three ODIs against Australia in January, but that will be a call to be taken by a new selection committee, not the current panel.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is currently playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and his fitness is being ascertained before taking any call on him.

(Mumbai Mirror inputs)

 
 

By Jatin Sharma - 19 Nov, 2019

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