Moments after BCCI announced the squad for the upcoming ODI series against West Indies on Wednesday, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan didn't look particularly pleased with it. In fact without taking any names, Pathan said “No one comes back to form while resting…”, signaling the omission of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the squad.
Both Kohli and Rohit took part in the Indian Premier League, following which the duo skipped the limited-over series against South Africa at home. Both were set to return to action in the rescheduled fifth Test between India and England, which the former lost by seven wickets.
While Kohli did take part in the contest, Rohit was sidelined after he tested positive for Covid-19. The duo will now be seen delivering their services in the white-ball series against England, which starts from Thursday. Rohit will return to action in the first T20I at Hampshire, while Kohli and other senior members will join in from the second encounter, which is scheduled to be played on July 9 at Edgbaston.
{{/usCountry}}While Kohli did take part in the contest, Rohit was sidelined after he tested positive for Covid-19. The duo will now be seen delivering their services in the white-ball series against England, which starts from Thursday. Rohit will return to action in the first T20I at Hampshire, while Kohli and other senior members will join in from the second encounter, which is scheduled to be played on July 9 at Edgbaston.
{{/usCountry}}However, with the T20 World Cup approaching and Kohli's lean patch still hurting both the team and his fans, Pathan feels it's not a good idea to rest the key players.
Kohli managed just 11 and 20 in both the innings of the Edgbaston Test and had an below average outing, considering his reputation, in the IPL. He had accumulated 341 runs in 16 innings at an average of 22.73, which also featured three golden ducks.
Meanwhile in the absence of Kohli, Rohit and other key players, Shikhar Dhawan will be seen leading the team against West Indies in the ODIs with Ravindra Jadeja being his deputy. The squad for T20Is are not announced yet.
India will play three ODIs against West Indies, starting from July 22. It will be followed by a five-match T20I series, with the first scheduled to be played on July 29.