Ajit Agarkar Responds To Queries Regarding Resting Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli For The First Two ODIs Against Australia

Following their impressive victory in the Asia Cup 2023, the Indian cricket team is poised for an exciting showdown against Australia in a three-match ODI series on their home turf.

The first encounter of the series is scheduled for September 22 and will take place at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.

Ravichandran Ashwin’s comeback in ODIs

On Monday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made announcement regarding the squad that will represent India against Australia. The announcement marked the return of the spin all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin to the ODI side after a long period. The right hander’s comeback to the ODI fold is notable, given that his last appearance in this format was in January 2022.

The team management has opted to rest some of the marquee players for the first two ODIs. The quartet of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav will not feature in the first two matches of the series. Instead, they are set to return to the action in the third ODI.

During the squad announcement by BCCI’s chief selectorAjit Agarkar, a curious journalist inquired about the rationale behind resting the star players in preparation for what was colloquially referred to as the “Bharat Darshan” journey at the upcoming World Cup.