BCCI has rested Indian captain Virat Kohli for the last two ODIs as well as the entire three-match T20I series against New Zealand.
India vs New Zealand: Virat Kohli will not be a part of the Indian team for the final two ODIs and the entire T20I series against England. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday decided to rest Kohli for the last two ODIs as well as the entire three-match T20I series.
Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team in the absence of the regular captain. India won the Asia Cup title last year under Rohit Sharma's leadership.
"Considering (Kohli's) workload in the last few months, the team management and senior selection committee is of the view that it would be ideal for him to get adequate rest ahead of the home series against Australia," the board said in a statement.
Kohli has been in stellar form, scoring 282 runs in the recent test series in Australia to help India end a 71-year wait for a series victory Down Under.
He extended his purple patch in the subsequent ODI series, finishing with 153 runs at an average of 51 in three matches, including a match-winning century at the Adelaide Oval.
The 30-year-old finished as top scorer in both tests and ODIs with 11 centuries across the formats, and earlier this week won the International Cricket Council's cricketer, test and ODI player of the year awards.
However, BCCI has not named a replacement for Kohli so far.
This comes as the selectors want to balance and manage the workloads of Indian players leading into the World Cup. Jasprit Bumrah, another player who features in all the formats, was rested for the Australia and New Zealand series.
India won the first ODI match with a convincing margin of 8 wickets.
“It was one of our more balanced performances in the last few games. When I lost the toss, I thought it was going to be 300 par. One-fifty-odd on that wicket was superb,” Kohli said after the match.
“The fast bowling group together believe they can knock any side over. And the belief in his own ability and his fitness - this is the fittest I’ve seen him in his career. And his Test form has translated into one-day cricket,” he added.
(With Reuters Input)
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