Dhoni rested, Kohli to lead
Virat Kohli has been named captain of the India team for the first three of the five one- day internationals against Sri Lanka at the selection committee meeting here on Tuesday.
While neither chairman of the selection committee Sandeep Patil nor Team India director Ravi Shastri took questions from the media, it is believed that Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been rested after having played continuously since India’s series against England that began in June this year — followed by the Champions League Twenty20 and the recent truncated series with the West Indies.
Dhoni’s absence has facilitated West Bengal wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha’s return to the side though. The 29- year- old last played an ODI against Bangladesh in June this year.
Tamil Nadu off- spinner R. Ashwin too makes his way back into the team after sitting out the truncated series against the West Indies.
The selectors also reposed faith in young leftarm spinner Axar Patel, who impressed during the ODI against the West Indies in Dharamsala. The 20- year- old has earned an extension with his tight bowling.
However, there is still no sign of explosive batsmen Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag, which suggests they don’t figure in the scheme of things for next year’s World Cup, to be played in Australia/ New Zealand. Sehwag last appeared in an ODI in January last year while Yuvraj’s last one- dayer was against South Africa in December last year.
That would encourage a host of players from the ‘ A’ team who would look at capitalising on their chance to break into the senior side.
Sanju Samson, Manish Pandey and Unmukt Chand are some of the promising second string players whom the selectors have picked in the India A team to play a one- day practice match against Sri Lanka at the Cricket Club of India’s Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on October 30.