Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli to SKIP Sri Lanka Series; Hardik Pandya or KL Rahul to Lead Team India – REPORT

Rohit and Kohli will not be present for that as the Indian board wants the two cricketers to rest before the home season. 

Mumbai: Following the historic T20 World Cup 2024 win, senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are on a well-deserved break. The two stalwarts have already retired from T20I cricket, but would very much be in the reckoning for the ODI squad. With India set to take on Sri Lanka in an ODI and T20I  series, reports suggest that Rohit and Kohli will not be present for that as the Indian board wants the two cricketers to rest before the home season.

The question now is, who will then lead the side? The same PTI report suggests that the captain for the series would either be Hardik Pandya or KL Rahul.

“Both are automatic choices in ODI set up and the three 50 over games against England before the Champions Trophy is good enough practice for them. For next few months, they both will prioritize Tests and India will play 10 of them between September to January,” a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source told PTI.

“The Champions Trophy will happen in mid February and they don’t need to go for a week-long 3 match ODIs in Sri Lanka. If they want, they are most welcome but I guess they would want rest,” the source added.

After India won the T20 World Cup 2024, Shah had announced a price money of Rs 125 crore for the players and support staff.

According to reports, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah wants to bring in some changes in the way how ICC functions, especially after recent controversies over the organization of the T20 World Cup 2024 that took place in USA and West Indies.