After the forgettable tour of South Africa, India is set to play in three ODI internationals and three T20 internationals against the West Indies. The BCCI made an official statement that the permanent white-ball skipper of the national side, Rohit Sharma, is now fit and will be leading the Indian side in both the ODI and the T20 series.
If all goes according to plan, the ODI series will begin on February 6. The board has selected Ahmedabad to be the venue for all three ODI matches. Team India would compete against the West Indies in three T20 International games following the ODI series. Again, the board has opted for a single venue for all the T20 games.
Rohit Sharma Set To Make Long Impending Return To National Side
Rohit Sharma is the permanent captain of the shorter formats of the game. Since getting injured during net practice in December, he has been out of the squad. In his absence, vice-captain KL Rahul had to step in to handle the top leadership role in the team in South Africa. This happened after Virat Kohli refused to play any role whatsoever in the decision-making roles of the Indian team henceforth. The ODI and T20 series against the West Indies would be the first time Rohit Sharma would lead the side after being made the permanent skipper by the board.
As per reports coming from the cricket headquarters of the country; Rohit Sharma has recovered entirely from the hamstring injury which forced him to pull out of the South Africa tour. When contacted, an official of the BCCI said this about Rohit Sharma- “Rohit is fit and available for the series against the West Indies. When 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.”
BCCI To Announce Appointment Of Rohit As Test Captain Soon
With the return of Rohit Sharma to the national squad, the board now wants to make him the permanent skipper of the Test side as well. This is seen as part of the board’s strategy to keep one player at the helm of affairs across all game formats. The board is aware that India will be taking part in two ICC World Cup Tournaments in 2022 and 2023. The responsibility on the shoulders of Rohit Sharma would be tremendous once he is made the captain of all formats. However, it has been learned that BCCI would have someone else in mind if it becomes too much for Sharma in the coming months.
The disastrous South African tour has put real pressure on KL Rahul. He was tasked to lead the side on foreign soil against a formidable opponent. But after a poor showing in the ODI series, in which India lost 3-0 to a resurgent Proteas side; the board is looking to limit Rahul’s role in the decision-making process for now. It would be interesting to see how far the board is willing to go with Rahul. For the time being, the BCCI would keep Rahul as an understudy of Rohit and watch how the former performs in the coming games.
One thing that is being discussed in cricket circles lately is that KL Rahul has been made the captain of the new IPL franchise, the Lucknow Super Giants. With the dismal performance that the Indian team has given under the leadership of Rahul; it would not come as a surprise if the Lucknow-based squad decides to make a change in its decision at the last moment.
Team Selection Committee Thinking About Bringing In New Players
The South African tour can significantly impact the structure of the following Indian squad. Veterans Ravichandran Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar from the bowling department could become the first casualties. Although the underwhelming performance of the Indian side in South Africa cannot be blamed on two or three individual players; the selection committee could go ahead and axe these two bowlers from the team to make way for new players.
Senior players like Kuldeep yadav and Y chahal could be seen making their comebacks to the national side after missing out a few games due to injuries. Jasprit Bumrah and Shami could well be rested in the two West Indies series because of the fatigue factor. The board may consider adding Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan to the T20 squad.