Rohit Sharma to Be Rested for West Indies Tour; Ajinkya Rahane Stand-in Captain?

Rohit Sharma could be rested for some part of the West Indies tour, starting July 12, as per reports. India are scheduled to play two Test, three ODI and five T20Is in the Caribbean with the Test series being part of the fresh World Test Championship Cycle (2023-25).

Sharma, who captained India in the WTC final vs Australia earlier this month at the Oval, came under a lot of criticism after the heavy 209-run defeat. Apart from Rohit, coach Rahul Dravid came under the scanner for misreading the conditions on day one of the Test not picking the No.1 ranked bowler R Ashwin in the playing XI.

Rohit’s own form with the bat was also not the greatest as he made 15 and 43 in the Test, while he had a rather forgettable IPL averaging 20.75 in 16 games, scoring 332 runs. Mumbai Indians made it to the play offs, but had lost to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2.

“The selectors want him to rest for some part of the West Indies tour,” a report in the Times Of India quoted unnamed source. The report further added citing the source, “Rohit looked a bit jaded during the IPL and the World Test Championship final in England. He is likely to miss the Tests or the eight-match white-ball series (three ODIs and five T20Is) to follow. The selectors will speak to Rohit and then take a decision.

With the new WTC cycle beginning next month for India, calls for a wholesale changes to the red-ball setup growing louder with question marks over a couple of seniors as well. Virat Kohli has not had the best of forms in the Tests and he also is likely to be rested for the series (read opt out) while Cheteshwar Pujara’s lean return is a worrying sign for team India.

However, if Rohit Sharma does not feature in the two Tests, the captaincy may as well go to Ajinkya Rahane – a temporary fix. Rahane was the stand-in captain for Kohli when the latter flew back to India after the first Test of the historic series in Australia in 2021-22, that India won in a remarkable fashion after a humiliating loss in the first Test.

Rahane, recalled for the 2023 WTC final on the back of some runs in the domestic circuit and IPL, was the best batter on show for India returning 89 and 46.

The report also speculated that India’s two frontline seamers Mohammad Shami and Mohammad Siraj could be rested for the red-ball series in the Caribbean.