The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reportedly set to rest senior Indian players for the upcoming 3-match ODI series against Afghanistan considering workload management. Cricket fans might miss Virat Kohli vs Naveen Ul Haq contest in the series as Virat is amongst the players who will be rested by the Indian board.
There were reports of the India vs Afghanistan series being in danger due to Team India’s jam-packed schedule but the BCCI is likely to go ahead with the series, which was announced by board secretary Jay Shah last month. However, they will rest their senior players and pick a young squad for the series.
BCCI likely to rest Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and other seniors For the ODI series against Afghanistan
As per PTI, there is a very strong possibility that a second-string Indian team will take part in the ODI series against Afghanistan keeping their Caribbean assignment in mind. Senior Indian cricketers including skipper Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Mohammad Shami, and Mohammed Siraj could be rested from the series.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya could be handed the captaincy duties once again. The dates for the series are not yet announced but the only window left with the BCCI for the Afghanistan series is between June 20-30.
Indian cricketers are currently representing their respective franchises in the IPL which is a two-month-long tournament. The players will then feature in the WTC final against Australia at The Oval from June 7. Team India also has a three-format tour of the West Indies lined up in the month of July, where a full-strength Indian side is set to travel.
This makes it almost impossible for the BCCI to include the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the Afghanistan series. Thus, young IPL performers like Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma and Ruturaj Gaikwad might get a chance to play for the Men in Blue and showcase their potential.
Mirwais Ashraf, the president of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) is in India for the IPL final. A meeting between the members of the Asian Cricket Council is also slated to take place in the next few days. India and Afghanistan cricket boards could also finalize the details of their proposed ODI series.
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The BCCI is keen to manage the workload of their key players as the ODI World Cup is scheduled later this year in the months of October-November and the tournament will remain the top-most priority of Team India.