Virat Kohli has been rested for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka and Rohit Sharma will lead the squad that will face the visitors from December 10. Batsman Shreyas Iyer included in the ODI squad for the first time and pacer Sidharth Kaul was also named in the 15-man squad.
Kohli has been saying that he has played too much cricket and cricketers need rest from the packed international calendar. India will tour South Africa three days after the Sri Lanka T20I series which ends on December 24.
Kohli will play the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in New Delhi from December 2. The selectors retained the same squad for the final Test from the second Test and also included Shikhar Dhawan who had asked for a break from the second Test. Bhuvneshwar, however, will join only after the Test series.
The Indian selectors did not recall R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for the ODI series and went ahead with the selection of two wrist spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav alongwith left-spinner Axar Patel. All-rounder Hardik Pandya, who had asked to be rested from the Test series against Sri Lanka, was back in the ODI squad which otherwise wears a familiar look.
Iyer was included in the India squad for T20Is against New Zealand and he made his debut in New Delhi. But he has not been part of the ODI squad.
ODI squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sidharth Kaul
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