Former Australia batsman Dean Jones came in support of the BCCI’s decision to rest regular India captain Virat Kohli for the upcoming Asia Cup, saying “it’s not a one-man team”, while also hailing the inclusion of young players like Manish Pandey and Khaleel Ahmed for the tournament, starting in the UAE on September 15.
During a telephonic interview on Star Sports, Jones said, “India is not a one-man team. No one’s going to replace Kohli, but I’ll tell you what, it is an unbelievable opportunity for Pandey, Ambati Rayudu, and these boys, and don’t forget M.S. Dhoni. I think it’s a great team led by Rohit Sharma, they got their bowlers right who can reverse swing and at the death, 25-30 overs will be bowled for the spinners. They got Chahal, Kuldeep and Axar Patel bowling beautifully. Bhuvi and Bumrah will bowl at the death, they got a very good balance.”
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Kohli, who has been in enjoying a purple patch in the ongoing five-match Test rubber in England, where he scored 200 runs two times in the series, was rested, keeping in mind the gruelling tour of Australia, later, this year. When asked if Virat’s absence will affect the much-awaited clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 19, Deano replied that the world will be watching the match, irrespective of whether the regular skipper plays or not.
Describing the same, Jones said, “It is all about Blue for them (the Indian team) and trust me when Green meets Blue, there will be excitement and fireworks. I am looking forward to him having a huge series. So, trust me or not, Kohli is not playing, but when Pakistan meets India, the world will be watching.”
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Besides Kohli, the BCCI selectors also dropped ODI players like Suresh Raina, Umesh Yadav, and Siddarth Kaul, who were the part of the squad in England. On Friday, Kohli became the fastest Indian batsman to reach the tally of 6000 Test runs.
After Rohit’s promotion as captain, opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan was named his deputy in the side. Rajasthan’s Under-19 pacer Khaleel Ahmed also earned his maiden India call-up for the 14th edition of the meet.
