Ravi Shastri has expressed his desire for the team management to give a break to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who are senior players, in preparation for the crucial ODI World Cup 2023. The tournament is set to be held in India starting from October 5. It is worth mentioning that Kohli and Sharma have been involved in continuous cricketing activities since February. They played in the four-match Test series and three-match ODI series against Australia, followed by their participation in the IPL 2023.
In the World Test Championship final of 2023, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had low scores in the first innings, with Rohit scoring 15 and Kohli scoring 14. Looking ahead, Ravi Shastri commented on their future, mentioning that both players are capable of participating in all three formats of the game. However, he emphasized that it is not necessary for them to play in all formats leading up to the World Cup. Instead, Shastri believes it would be beneficial to give opportunities to younger players before the important tournament.
Ravi Shastri on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
“I would say, it’s very tough to play all three formats. There are players who can play. For example – Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli can still play all three formats,” Shastri said.
Additionally, Shastri stated that the senior players could be reintroduced to the team shortly before the commencement of the World Cup.
“Having said that, they don’t need to play all matches; give exposure to other youngsters. A big tournament is coming up – the World Cup. Bring them (back to the team) close to that; (let them) spend some time with the team and play,” he added.
India has not claimed an ICC title since their victory in the Champions Trophy in 2013. However, they have managed to reach the semi-finals or beyond in every ICC tournament, except for the T20 World Cup in 2021. Therefore, the upcoming ODI World Cup holds immense importance for the Indian cricket team, as they aim to put an end to their decade-long drought in ICC trophies. On another note, in the first innings of the World Test Championship final in 2023, India were dismissed for a total of 296 runs, with Ajinkya Rahane contributing the highest score of 89. Australia currently holds a substantial lead of 296 runs heading into the second innings.
