IND vs SL 2021: Team India stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli likely to lose 12-13 rating points for missing Sri Lanka ODI series
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been the pillars of the Indian batting line-up over the last few years. While Rohit Sharma's emergence in Test cricket is comparatively recent, and the T20 team has had other performers, the ODI set-up is dominated by these two stars. So it comes as no surprise that they are among the world's top-ranked batsmen in ODI cricket.
Virat Kohli is the second highest-ranked batsman while Rohit Sharma comes in at third in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen. However, the duo have not played a lot of ODI cricket in recent months. Kohli and Sharma were earlier number one and two respectively but a lack of ODI games and Babar Azam's sensational form meant both Indian batsmen fell by a spot each.
Neither of them are part of India's team for the Sri Lanka limited overs tour and this is set to result in a further hit to their rating points. Kohli is expected to lose 13 points while Rohit Sharma could suffer a loss of 12 points.
This will, however, not affect their rankings as they are both well ahead of the chasing pack. But it will bridge the gap going forward and may potentially allow other batsmen to overtake the Indian duo.
Two Indian teams are all set to play in two different countries
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will miss out on the limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka as they are in England ahead of the five-match Test series. The first Test match between the two teams is scheduled for August 2. The Indian team stayed back in England after the World Test Championship Final as constant travel is not feasible in times of COVID-19.
A young Indian team has been picked for the tour of Sri Lanka. Shikhar Dhawan will captain the side, which contains a lot of new faces. Players who did well in IPL 2021 phase one have been given the chance to showcase their skills for Team India and will be looking to make the most out of this opportunity.
It will be interesting to see two different Indian teams playing at around the same time. This shows the depth of Indian cricket as even the second squad is considered the favourites going into the Sri Lanka series. The first ODI between India and Sri Lanka is scheduled for July 18.