The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to give former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni rest from the final two One-Day International games against Australia. India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar confirmed this news after the conclusion of the third ODI in Ranchi. Team India is looking to manage the workload of Indian players before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England and Wales.
Rishabh Pant is the only wicketkeeper in the Indian squad and he is all likely to feature in the remaining two games. Team management is eager to test Pant in the ODI mix-up before the marquee tournament. Dinesh Karthik was not included in the Indian squad for the five-match series against Australia. Hence, his chances to find a place in the World Cup squad are quite grim.
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The team management will also have a closer look at Mohammed Shami, who suffered a minor injury during the third ODI in Ranchi’s JSCA Stadium. Shami was hit on his leg by a straight drive and was forced off the field for a while. However, he returned soon after to complete his full quota of overs. Shami’s fitness is set to be assessed later, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar in line to replace him if needed.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli mentioned during the post-match presentation that India’s mindset to win games won’t change despite they will test few players in the remaining matches. Currently, the series is nicely poised at 2-1 with final two matches are scheduled to take place in Mohali and Delhi.
“We will have a few changes in the next couple of games. We have to figure out what those changes are. But the idea is to go out there and win matches and take a lot of pride in winning games for the country. That mindset will not change. We will have a few new faces and they will have to make the most of their chances because there is a World Cup coming and everyone wants to be on that flight,” said Kohli.
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India lost the third ODI by 32 runs in Ranchi but will try to bounce back and seal the deal in Mohali to, where the fourth game will be played on this Sunday.
