Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma‘s highly anticipated return has reportedly been postponed; the ICC T20 World Cup-winning combination is unlikely to play in the next One Day International (ODI) series against Sri Lanka. With Gautam Gambhir likely to replace the already-departed Rahul Dravid as India’s new head coach, hosts India will select Hardik Pandya or KL Rahul to lead the team in the Sri Lanka series.
“Both are automatic choices in ODI set up and the three 50 over games against England before the Champions Trophy is good enough practice for them. For next few months, they both will prioritize Tests and India will play 10 of them between September to January,” according to a source from BCCI.
Rohit has been officially recognized by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah as India’s captain for both the current World Test Championship (WTC) and the ICC Champions Trophy. Bangladesh will play Rohit and Co. in a two-test series at the WTC. India will travel to Australia to compete for the prestigious Border Gavaskar Trophy following their bilateral series against New Zealand.
“The Champions Trophy will happen in mid February and they don’t need to go for a week-long 3 match ODIs in Sri Lanka. If they want, they are most welcome but I guess they would want rest,” the BCCI insider continued.
All-rounder Hardik is predicted to captain India in the ODI series, with Rohit likely to be rested against Sri Lanka. According to some reports, KL Rahul could also be considered for captaincy in the Sri Lanka ODI series. Towards the end of this month, Sri Lanka will embark on a three-T20I and three-ODI tour of India. The three-match ODI series will begin on August 2, 2024.
