The BCCI on Tuesday announced squads for the upcoming bilateral series against Sri Lanka, starting in the month of January. The board has once again pursued the theory of split captaincy, naming Hardik Pandya as the captain of the T20I team while Rohit continues to lead in the 50-over format. While Shikhar Dhawan has been dropped from the ODI series, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja remain absent as well.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, Bumrah and Jadeja were fit and available for selection but the selection committee decided not to rush them back into the teams. Both cricketers have been away from the action due to injuries and have begun training post-recovery.
“They want to simulate training for him that replicates the workload of a proper match, and see how he holds up before he is brought back to international cricket. The selectors now want to see him in match simulation just to be sure of his match fitness,” the report said.
Meanwhile, Pant has been sent to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for strength and conditioning before the four-match Test series against Australia.
“The team management feels he will have a key role to play in the Tests, and needs this housekeeping break after playing 44 internationals this year,” further said the report.
Skipper Rohit Sharma has been out of action since suffering a blow on his left thumb while fielding in the second ODI against Bangladesh, has started batting in the nets. He is expected to be fully fit by the end of the first week of January, in time for the ODI series against Sri Lanka, making him unavailable for the T20Is starting January 3.
On the other hand, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli have been rested after playing in the full tour of Bangladesh. Though neither of them asked for the break, the selectors felt they needed the rest.
Another point of concern for India going into 2023, which is an ODI World Cup year, is the unavailability of Prasidh Krishna. With his height, pace and hard lengths, he was seen as the enforcer for ODIs in India.
But Prasidh sustained a back injury on the eve of India A’s series against New Zealand in September, and the report said the pacer is yet to recover from it. Prasidh’s injury has meant Mohammed Shami is back in ODIs after missing the tour of Bangladesh due to a shoulder injury, with Arshdeep Singh and Umran Malik named in the ODI squad as well.
(With IANS Inputs)
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