India should rest their senior players like Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma for T20I series against New Zealand: Ashish Nehra
Former Indian seamer Ashish Nehra believes national selectors should rest senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah for the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand.
India will host the Kiwis for three T20Is between 17th November to 21st November. But with crucial Test assignments against New Zealand and South Africa to follow, Nehra feels the T20I series is an ideal time to rest the seniors.
Speaking at CricBuzz Live, Nehra said that the T20I series is an ideal opportunity for selectors and team management to experiment with new players. However, he was quick to add that only those youngsters, who are considered long-term prospects, should be tried in the T20Is against New Zealand.
Nehra explained:
"They should rest him because you have Tests against New Zealand and three Tests in South Africa coming up. India have a great chance of winning their maiden series this time. They should rest their senior players like Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma. Also, these three T20Is is an ideal opportunity to try out young players. Pick only those young players who you see as a long term prospect. It shouldn't be the case of you discarding players after one or two poor performances."
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The National Selection Committee will pick the squad for the India-New Zealand T20I series on Wednesday. With Virat Kohli's stint as T20I skipper coming to an end, a new captain is also likely to be announced.
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Nehra's former teammate Virender Sehwag also echoed the same thoughts as far as resting the Indian senior players for the T20I series against New Zealand is concerned.
Sehwag went one step ahead and suggested that management should also keep the option of "voluntary rest" open for youngsters like Rishabh Pant. He said:
"I would rest all senior players before the South African tour. The management should also keep the option of voluntary rest for young players like Rishabh Pant, who have also been playing consistent cricket across formats for months,''
India will play three T20Is in Jaipur, Ranchi and Kolkata on November 17, 19 and 21 respectively. The T20I series will be followed by two Tests in Kanpur (November 25-29) and Mumbai (December 03-07).