Having skipped the last few ODIs against New Zealand and the T20I series that followed, India skipper Virat Kohli is set to return for the series against Australia.

While the regular skipper’s return to the team is confirmed when the selectors meet in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters in Mumbai on Friday, what will be interesting to see is how the workload of someone like Rohit Sharma is looked at going into the final few games before the 2019 World Cup.

Sources in the know of developments have told Hindustan Times that while skipper Kohli’s return is a given, Rohit could be rested for the two-match T20I series as he has been playing non-stop cricket and was also part of the Test squad in the previous series against Australia. The selectors will announce the squad for all the seven games on Friday — two T20Is and five ODIs.

Not just Rohit Sharma but there could be few other players who could be asked to sit out against Australia. Fast-bowler Jasprit Bumrah is set to return after being rested for the limited overs leg in Australia and New Zealand and he could replace fellow pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the line-up.

Yuzvendra Chahal too has been playing continuous cricket and was the preferred option in the T20Is, ahead of Kuldeep Yadav. The selectors would want to give him a break and try out few other spinning options.

First Published: Feb 15, 2019 12:17 IST