Kohli likely to be rested for T20s
MUMBAI: Playing non-stop since the start of the year, Virat Kohli is expected to get a much-deserved break and skip the T20 leg of the upcoming series against Bangladesh. The squad will be picked here on Thursday. Three T20 matches and two Tests are scheduled, from November 3 to 26.
Captaining in all three formats and being the premier batsman of the side, Kohli is an ideal candidate for burnout. He was expected to skip the T20 matches in West Indies after the World Cup, but he played. This time he is expected to heed the advice of the support staff monitoring the workload of the players, unless things change after he meets new BCCI president, Sourav Ganguly.
It will be the first selection meeting under Ganguly and it remains to be seen if the former India captain gives his inputs in planning the build-up to the 2020 T20 World Cup. It could also be the last selection meeting for a couple of selectors in the MSK Prasad-led five member committee as changes are expected at the next AGM. Rohit Sharma, fresh from his tremendous showing in the Test series against South Africa, is expected to lead in the T20s. For Kohli’s replacement, the selectors could discuss the names of Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill. As far as Samson, a wicketkeeper-batsman, is concerned, the selectors will also get a chance to compare his potential with that of Rishabh Pant.
A stylish top-order batsman, Gill is a batsman for the next generation. The selectors simply can’t ignore the sheer volume of runs he is getting in every format. The U-19 World Cup star had a decent IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders and has been in tremendous form for India A, scoring 90 and 92 in his last two matches against South Africa A last month.
In August, on India A’s tour of the West Indies, he hit an unbeaten double hundred. If the selectors decide to try out both, then another top-order batsman will have to be rested.
On the back of his fine showing in Vijay Hazare Trophy and in the India A matches, Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dube is in line for selection as a replacement for the injured Hardik Pandya. The highlight of the lefthanded batsman’s showing in Vijay Hazare was his 67-ball 118 (10x6) against Karnataka.
Picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore for R5 crore, he had a poor IPL with 40 runs in four matches, but is back in reckoning with performances for India A. A medium-pacer, he mixes it well to be effective in limitedovers cricket. It remains to be seen whether Prasad’s panel sees merit in recalling one of the two wrist spinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.