Reports: Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah to be rested for West Indies T20Is

BCCI is yet to announce the squad for the forthcoming T20I series against West Indies but reports suggest that Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah will be rested. It is said that the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee would continue to support Kohli and that he will be an essential part of the team’s strategy for the T20 World Cup.

Kohli has been in and out of the international setup recently for rest and injury reasons. While he played the Edgbaston Test against England, he was rested for the first T20I of the three-match series and joined for the remaining two fixtures. He was a part of the mix for the ODI series but was ruled out of the first game owing to a groin injury, which has made his inclusion in the second game doubtful as well.

The 33-year-old has been an important component of the Indian squad since he made his entry into international cricket. Every player has his distinct characteristic, and even amid Kohli’s ongoing rough patch, there are hopes of him returning back to form. A report in the Indian Express stated that Virat Kohli will be a part of India’s T20 World Cup campaign even after missing out on the international fixtures.

Concern over Kohli’s performance has long been a matter of concern. He had failed to score a century since his last one, which was in November 2019. Veteran players with illustrious careers like Kapil Dev have criticized his position on the team. Kapil Dev had anticipated Kohli’s deterioration as a batter as early as 2020, speculating that the batter’s eyesight might be a contributing factor in the slowing down of his reflexes and recommending that he engages in specific workouts to enhance those skills.

India to play three ODIs and five T20Is against West Indies

The Indian squad still has a few more series to play before the T20 World Cup, therefore the selectors thought it would be best to give Bumrah a sabbatical as he has been playing cricket continuously and his workload management was taken into consideration. Meanwhile, Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav seems set to mark his return back to the squad after missing out time recovering from injury.

The India tour of the West Indies will commence shortly after the conclusion of the England tour. The five-match T20I series will begin after the three-match ODI series which concludes on July 27. The first T20I will be played on July 29, with the last game scheduled for August 7.