With Virat Kohli asking for rest and Rohit Sharma given a break, Ajinkya Rahane is all set to lead India in the series opening first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur to be played later this month. According to a report, Rohit has been rested to better manage his workload while Kohli, who is already skipping the T20I series, will return for the second Test in Mumbai.
As per a report in The Times of India, the decision to put Rahane in command was taken on Thursday with the selectors brainstorming over managing the workload of its players who have recently talked about the bubble fatigue which in turn has been cited as one of the reasons from the Indian team’s early exit at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
The BCCI had recently announced a 15-man India T20I squad for the three-match home series against New Zealand to be led by Rohit. However, the squad is missing senior players including former captain Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah among others who all have been given a much-needed break.
The selectors deliberated over handing Rohit the captaincy for the Kanpur Test and then being rested for the second match. However, he will skip the entire series and therefore Rahane, whose form with the bat has been dwindling of late, will lead the team.
The pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakur has been rested alongside wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant.
Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul are the openers in the squad. Hanuma Vihari and Rahane will form the middle order while Wridhiman Saha is the first-choice wicketkeeper.
The T20I series gets underway from November 17 in Jaipur with Ranchi and Kolkata to host the second and third match respectively. The Tests will be played in Kanpur and Mumbai.
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