Rohit Sharma to lead India against West Indies; senior players under scanner - Reports
Rohit Sharma is expected to lead India in ODIs for the first time as full-time captain in their upcoming home assignment against the West Indies. The 34-year-old is currently training in the nets after missing out on the tour of South Africa because of a hamstring injury.
Currently training in Mumbai, Sharma is expected to travel to the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore for a fitness test. Once he is cleared by the coaches at the centre, Sharma will be named in the squad by the selection committee that will meet later this week.
A senior BCCI official told PTI on the conditions of anonymity:
"Rohit is fit and available for the series against the West Indies. By the time the West Indies series starts, it will be more than seven and half weeks of rehabilitation and recuperation for Rohit. He is already training in Mumbai and is expected to be in Bangalore for the fitness test and get a formal okay from the National Cricket Academy."
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Already named as the team's captain in the limited-overs format keeping the World Cups in 2022 and 2023 in mind, Rohit Sharma is being primed for captaincy in the longest format as well. The BCCI are exploring other names as well but Sharma is likely to be named India's Test captain.
Calls to be taken on the likes of Bhuvneshwar, Ashwin, and Bumrah for India's white-ball squad
Senior bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin were far from their best in the recently concluded ODI series against South Africa. The duo were dropped from the team after the first two ODIs in Paarl.
Hardik Pandya, who was dropped following the T20 World Cup, is apparently back in contention as well. While the all-rounder is yet to prove his fitness when it comes to bowling regularly, Venkatesh Iyer's inexperience could lead to the 28-year-old's return to the Indian team. The senior BCCI official revealed:
"You have to remember after the T20 World Cup, Hardik was dropped and not rested because of his fitness. The selectors wanted to send him a message after his underwhelming show at World T20 but he is too good a player to be kept out for long. If not against West Indies, then he will surely be back against Sri Lanka."
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Ravindra Jadeja, who was one of the names to have missed the South Africa tour, could also be back for India in the series against West Indies.
Having played all six matches on the tour, Jasprit Bumrah could see himself rested for the limited-overs series at home. The likes of Avesh Khan and Harshal Patel could be in contention for Bumrah's spot in India's white-ball squad.