Ahead of the third and final ODI of the series against Australia in Rajkot on Wednesday, Team India captain Rohit Sharma has shared that only 13 players are available for selection. While the star India opener Shubman Gill has been rested, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, and Shardul Thakur have gone home for different reasons as well. Notably, India are 2-0 up in the three-match series and they will look to whitewash as well.
Speaking at a press conference on the eve of the Rajkot ODI, Rohit said, “We’ve got lot of players who are sick, not available; lot of players have personal problems, so they have gone home. A few of the guys are rested. We have got 13 players at this point in time. Gill has been rested; Shami, Hardik, Shardul, they have all gone home. Hardik has gone home – again personal things. Axar obviously is not available for this game. We’ve got only 13 players to choose from. There is a bit of viral going around in the team as well.”
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He further added that players have been given breaks since it is important to be ready for the World Cup 2023, mentally and physically as well. However, KL Rahul led the team in Rohit Sharma’s absence in the first two ODIs as well and played well with the bat too. His form will be crucial for India in the upcoming mega event.
“There is a lot of uncertainty in the team at this point, which we cannot help. Looking at the next few weeks, it’s quite important for us to look after the players and their well-being. It’s okay for them to be home at this point in time – the reason being we want everybody to be fresh during the World Cup and hopefully they can come back fresh,” Rohit again shared.
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“I am very happy with the last 10 ODIs we have played. A lot of guys came back to form, scoring lots of runs and the bowlers taking lot of wickets. In the last few games, we saw guys who have come back from injuries as well. They have proven their fitness, so we are pretty much settled at this point in time. It’s just now about taking this whole situation of the team forward in the best possible way. Having said that, I know that this is a sport where you need to keep improving as players. We will try to understand the learnings from these last 10 ODIs,” Rohit Sharma concluded.
