Bumrah, Gill workload on agenda as ODIs loom
Colombo: The future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in ODIs is a topic of debate but they are set to board the flight to Australia for the three ODIs starting October 19 at Perth even as national selectors will be compelled to a make a few changes in the Indian squad owing either to fitness issues or workload management.
The selectors are likely to sit down on Saturday, the third day of the ongoing first Test against the West Indies in Ahmedabad, to pick the squad. But there is no clarity yet on the squad announcement.
Hardik Pandya (quadriceps injury) and Rishabh Pant (recovering from foot fracture) won't be available and Test skipper Shubman Gill, who has played the Asia Cup and within three days is playing a two-Test series, will also need to take care of his body.
It is only prudent that the selectors might ask him to rest from either ODIs or T20Is or both.
Both Rohit and Kohli have been working hard after a seven-month lay off from international cricket since the Champions Trophy triumph in March. While Kohli scored a hundred against Pakistan and also top-scored in the semi-final against Australia, Rohit shrugged off his poor form with a match-winning knock against New Zealand in the final.
There is also no reason to remove Rohit from the leadership role as he has hardly had a failure in this format unless he himself wants to concentrate on his batting. Both have retired from Tests and T20Is and are now only single format players leading to conjectures about their longevity going into the 50-over World Cup scheduled in South Africa in 2027.
But as per BCCI sources, since there are only six ODIs this season -- three away games against Australia and three home games versus New Zealand at the end of the year -- a concrete decision might not be taken in haste.
The priority at the moment rests with the T20 World Cup early next year at home, and gaining the maximum WTC points from the four home Tests in 2025. A hint about Kohli and Rohit's presence in the squad could be the official promotional teaser that broadcasters released for the ODI series with their portraits. agencies
