Virat Kohli rested for Sri Lanka ODI’s, Rohit Sharma to lead India

Nagpur : India captain Virat Kohli was given a much-needed rest from the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka while spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja continued to be ignored in the 50-over format.

While Kohli will play in the third Test in New Delhi starting December 2, his limited overs deputy Rohit Sharma will be leading the squad in three-match ODI series starting December 10.

Ashwin and Jadeja’s continued exclusion is a clear indication that they are not in the immediate scheme of things in this format.

Shreyas Iyer, who made his T20 international debut against New Zealand last month, has earned his maiden call-up in the ODI side and is expected to bat in Kohli’s place at number three.

The squad also includes uncapped Punjab right-arm medium pacer Siddharth Kaul, who was incidentally a member of the 2008 U-19 World Cup winning team, which was led by Kohli. Kaul has played for India A and has 175 wickets from 50 first-class games and 98 scalps from 52 List A games. The medium pacer has also been a part of IPL franchises Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders. 

The squad for the T20 Internationals against the islanders and the Test tour of South Africa has been put off till the third and final match in the national capital.