Former India head coach Ravi Shastri wants Team India to manage the workload of captain Rohit Sharma and veteran batter Virat Kohli ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup at home. The veteran cricketer-turned-commentator said that Team India should give more opportunities to youngsters heading into the ICC event. He also feels that they will already be ready for the tournament.
He said this after both Kohli (14) and Sharma (15) failed to deliver with the bat for Team India during the first innings of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval as well. Notably, they have been playing continuously since the Border-Gavaskar trophy in February.
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Ravi Shastri told Star Sports on Day 3 of the WTC final: “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. 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 continued: “They have quality, but also give opportunities to other players during the 11-month cycle. For example, Virat and Bumrah are a certainty on the side. They don’t need to play all the games. Bring experienced players with the team one month ahead of the World Cup. They will get back into form, but there are many other players as well.”
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However, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have already been rested in T20Is following the 2022 T20 World Cup as well. And, they have chances to do well in the second innings. Kohli has scored 1993 runs in 25 Tests, including eight centuries, against Australia. Overall, he has scored 4959 runs in 93 games against them, including 16 tons, with a top score of 186 as well. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has scored 665 runs in 12 Tests, including one ton and three half-centuries, against Australia. Overall, he has 3848 runs in 76 games against them as well.
