Kohli, Rohit and Dhawan likely to be rested for Zimbabwe tour

[ABCDEFGH]

Kohli, Rohit and Dhawan likely to be rested for Zimbabwe tour

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to rest India's top-three batsmen - Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli - for the upcoming limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe in June. India will play three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) from June 11.

Since October last year, Kohli has not missed a single match for India, barring the short T20I series against Sri Lanka at home ahead of the World T20 2016. His workload is also set to notch up with India playing 17 Tests matches from July 2016 to March 2017.

"It is more or less certain that both Virat and Rohit will be rested for series against Zimbabwe. They have been playing non-stop cricket for the last six months and are required to be fresh before India embarks on their tour to West Indies. The chances of Shikhar Dhawan going for the Zimbabwe tour are also very less," a top BCCI official was quoted as saying by the PTI.

MS Dhoni, the ODI and T20I skipper, may also opt to skip the series. In such a scenario, he will not be seen donning the national colours for a long time since there aren't any limited-overs matches scheduled from July to December, as of now.

If Dhoni doesn't travel, Ajinkya Rahane could lead a second-string side like he did on tour of Zimbabwe in 2015. The likes of KL Rahul and Krunal Pandya, who have impressed in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League may get call-ups.


Kohli, Rohit and Dhawan likely to be rested for Zimbabwe tour | Cricbuzz.com

 

[ABCDEFGH]

Task for selectors if Dhoni backs out of Zimbabwe tour

About a couple of months ago, when India's ICC World Twenty20 campaign ended in the semifinal stage, Mahendra Singh Dhoni reacted to retirement with a rhetoric, asking the scribes present in the room whether anyone had a brother or a son who could keep wickets for India. It was a telling statement on the health of wicketkeeping resources in the country. Such has been the uncertainty over Dhoni's successor, that now there is a buzz that KL Rahul - at best a makeshift gloveman - could be tried as the wicketkeeping option on India's forthcoming limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe if skipper Dhoni opts to sit out.

Rahul's batting prowess seems to be covering up for the frequent blemishes behind the stumps. While it is understood that the selectors are keen on having fresh and young faces on the tour, it will be interesting to see what Dhoni chooses to do. The performances of the regular wicketkeepers in this Indian Premier League put the selectors in a quandary. Parthiv Patel has lost his place in the Mumbai Indians XI squad and Wriddhiman Saha too got dropped for a couple of matches at Kings XI Punjab. Dinesh Karthik's erratic glovework doesn't inspire much confidence either. This puts Naman Ojha ahead in the race.

All of them are on the other side of 30. The next big hopes are Sanju Samson, aged 21, and an 18-year-old Rishabh Pant. While Pant, India's Under-19 wicketkeeper, has made ripples with his batting, Samson too has been touted as one for the future. But neither of the two has kept wickets in this IPL or played an entire Ranji Trophy season as a wicketkeeper.

If IPL is any indication, then there is a trend of using makeshift wicketkeepers. It started with Robin Uthappa donning the big gloves for Kolkata Knight Riders a couple of years ago and pushing his case with consistent performances, with Ambati Rayudu too doing that job for the Mumbai Indians. Royal Challengers Bangalore have taken a liking to this idea this season, fielding two wicketkeepers in Kedar Jadhav and KL Rahul - neither of whom is a regular.

Kiran More, former India wicketkeeper and chief selector, feels a regular wicketkeeper should travel to Zimbabwe if Dhoni opts out. "Dhoni is still the best wicketkeeper-batsman in India. It won't be a bad idea if he goes for the tour as there aren't many limited-overs matches to play this year. But if he doesn't, then a proper wicketkeeper should go," More told TOI. "At this moment, Naman looks to be the best man. Sanju did have a couple of sessions with me but he still has a lot of work to do on his keeping," More added.

Task for selectors if Dhoni backs out of Zimbabwe tour | Cricbuzz.com

 

[Rushil]

Bad news :'( :angry

 

[ABCDEFGH]

Sanju Samson can keep Wickets for Zimbabwe Series.

If KL Rahul improves his keeping then he can get a permanent Spot in Test Squad
His batting is great, far better than Dhoni

 

[kumarvishwas]

When was Dhawan working hard
He is resting only on the benches from starting of this year :lol :rofl