After a rigorous ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 campaign where the host side played their league stage games in nine different cities, senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have asked for a one-month rest before the three-Test series on South African soil.
A source told Sports Tak that in the absence of Rohit and Kohli, KL Rahul is expected to lead the side in ODIs which is scheduled to be played from December 17 to 21. However, a decision is yet to be taken on whether Rahul will lead India in South Africa again or not.
Sports Tak understands that Rohit and Kohli have already distanced themselves from T20Is. While a second-string squad led by Suryakumar Yadav was selected for the five-T20I series against Australia, the senior duo will be unavailable for selection for the three-T20I series against South Africa starting December 10.
RohitThe selectors have already talked to Rohit and Kohli about their T20I future. The selectors have said that with the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 if they want to be considered for selection for the T20 World Cup 2024 in the Caribbean and USA, they will have to play in the bilateral T20I series as well.
Rohit and Kohli’s last T20I appearance was in the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia where India were knocked out by champions England led by Jos Buttler in the semifinal. Since then, Hardik Pandya has been leading the T20I side while the duo has focused on ODI and Test cricket. The decision paid off as they were exceptional with the bat throughout World Cup 2023.
Pandya’s injury during the Bangladesh clash which ruled him out of World Cup 2023 is the reason behind Suryakumar getting the captaincy role. It is not clear whether Pandya will be able to regain fitness before the T20I series against the Proteas.
Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been named Suryakumar’s deputy for the home series against Australia. After the first three T20Is, Shreyas Iyer will return to the side and take on the vice-captain role for the last two games.
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