Rishabh, Kuldeep part of squad for West Indies tour
Birmingham, June 15: Senior opener Rohit Sharma has been advised rest for the tour of the West Indies while talented wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant and spinner Kuldeep Yadav were named in the 15-man squad picked here on Thursday.
Paceman Jasprit Bumrah is another member of the Champions Trophy squad, who has been rested for the short tour comprising five ODIs and a T20 International.
Both Rishabh and Kuldeep were on standby for the Champions Trophy and it was only a fair call by selection committee led by M.S.K. Prasad to try the two youngsters against a weaker international side.
The other significant development is that Anil Kumble has agreed to go to the West Indies.
In case of Rohit, who is coming back after a hamstring surgery, the team management didn’t want him to play too many backto-back matches as he has already played for month and a half in the Indian Premier League followed by the ongoing CT.
Before every match, Rohit is seen having sessions with Patrick Farhart who keeps a keen eye on his fragile hamstring. It is pretty clear that Indian team management wanted Rohit to play this tourney desperately and then give him rest to ensure there isn’t too much pressure on his body.
Bumrah has shouldered intense workload since the start of the IPL. The West Indies tour will give Mohammed Shami some precious game time.
With Rohit not getting considered, Pant could be a choice as opener. But Ajinkya Rahane will be the top contender to open the innings with Shikhar Dhawan.
Pant will certainly feature in the single T20 International, having already made his debut. Squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (wk), Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav.