IND vs SA: 3 reasons why resting big names is the right move for Team India
The BCCI recently announced Team India's 18-member squad for the home series against South Africa. The series will see India lock horns with the Proteas for five T20Is.
While the squad features some inexperienced faces who have impressed the selectors with their performances in the IPL, it also lacks some of leading players like skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Sharma and Kohli aren't the only names missing on the list. Also absent are speedsters Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami along with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
While the team selection has attracted criticism from some experts, it can work in the overall interest of Indian team in the long run. On that note, here are three reasons why resting big names for the South Africa series is the right move.
#3. It gives youngsters a chance to impress
IPL has been a breeding ground for fresh talent. The likes of Ravinchandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal are products of the IPL.
With big names like Kohli and Bumrah sitting out, it is a golden opportunity for youngsters to fight for a place in the Team India squad for the T20 World Cup later this year.
The Team India squad features a host of uncapped players who have impressed everyone with both bat and ball in the recently concluded edition of IPL.
For somebody like Umran Malik, who has sent the bails flying with his pace, it is a chance to have his dreams find fruition. While one might argue that the cricket fraternity has come closer with the advent of the IPL, a national team call-up is what fuels the ambitions of a player.
Thus, from that perspective, it is a chance for the youngsters to give the selectors sleepless nights ahead of a string of T20I matches against England and West Indies. It also paves the way for healthy competition within the team when the senior players return.