India announced their squad for the three-match One Day Internationals against Zimbabwe which is scheduled to begin from August 18 to August 22. All India Senior Selection Committee picked the 15-member squad which featured three new names, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Deepak Chahar, who are back in the India fold after missing out on the West Indies tour.
But the biggest name which was missing in the squad was of Virat Kohli which has against opened the room for debate which is going on a for a while now about how the high-profile batter's case is being handled by the Indian team management.
It also casts a doubt on Kohli's presence in the upcoming marquee Asia Cup 2022 after missing the two series back to back, West Indies and Zimbabwe tour.
It was widely reported that Kohli could make a comeback to the team in the Zimbabwe ODIs, as the star batter continues to struggle with form. Since his return to international action following the 2022 Indian Premier League, Kohli has registered a highest score of 20 in six innings across all formats.
But it has been reported by PTI that Kohli is likely to be seen next in action during the next month's Asia Cup.
"Virat had spoken to selectors that he would be available from the Asia Cup onwards. The first team players will hardly get rest from Asia Cup till end of World T20. Hence this is a two-week window after Windies tour when they can rest," a source told PTI.
All three ODIs of the series between India and Zimbabwe will take place at the Harare Sports Club. The Asia Cup begins four days after the Zimbabwe tour (August 27).
Another big name missing from the Zimbabwe tour is KL Rahul. However, Rahul had issued a clarification on his official Twitter profile that his recovery was halted following a Covid-19 infection.
Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan has been entrusted with an onus to spearhead the Men in Blue in Rohit Sharma's absence who has been rested for the Zimbabwe tour.
India’s squad for 3 ODIs: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Mohd Siraj, Deepak Chahar.
