Virat Kohli, who played an instrumental role in India's T20 World Cup 2024 victory, is likely to be rested for the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka. His return back to international cricket is therefore, expected to be delayed.
The tour of Sri Lanka starting July 27 and ending on August 7, will consist of 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is. Kohli had announced their retirement from T20 internationals after the recent World Cup Final in Barbados.
According to PTI reports, Kohli had requested for a long break since he has been playing non-stop since the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. After the World Cup parade celebrations in Mumbai, he left for London, to meet up with his family.
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When will Virat Kohli return to play for India?
One of Team India's most experienced batter and senior player, Virat Kohli, who has also adjudged as the Player of the Match for his 76 runs in the recent T20 World Cup Final, was offered rest until the foreseeable future.
Kohli along with Rohit Sharma, is only likely to be return to the Indian team for the start of the home Test season in September.
According to Indian Express, a BCCI source said: "Senior players can take some rest and get ready for the full cricket season ahead. Rohit, Virat and Bumrah have been offered rest and will join the team for the Test matches against Bangladesh in September."
Earlier BCCI secretary Jay Shah had confirmed that Rohit will continue to lead Team India during the ongoing edition of the World Test Championship (WTC) and the ICC Champions Trophy next year.
Similarly, the management expects Kohli to only priortise playing Test cricket until the end of this year, before getting back in the fold for the ODIs before the start of the Champions Trophy tournament in 2025.
"Both are automatic choices in ODI set up and the three 50-over games against England before the Champions Trophy is good enough practice for them. For next few months, they both will prioritize Tests and India will play 10 of them between September to January," a BCCI source told PTI
MORE: How many ODI matches will India play before 2025 Champions Trophy?
Team India will meet Bangladesh for a two-Test series in the WTC, starting September 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This will be followed by another three-match home series against New Zealand, in October. After the home Test series, India will tour Australia for a five-match Test series in the much-awaited Border Gavaskar Trophy, in November.
Despite BCCI keeping things open for him to play, it is understood that both the selectors and Kohli feel that it is in the player's best interest to manage his workload ahead of another hectic season. He had requested for rest, to spend time with his family, anyway.
"The Champions Trophy will happen in mid-February, and they don’t need to go for a week-long 3-match ODIs in Sri Lanka. If they want, they are most welcome, but I guess they would want rest," the source told PTI
In the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma during the Sri Lanka series, it is expected that either Hardik Pandya or KL Rahul will be picked as captain to lead the Indian team. This will also be an opportunity for the other players to prove themselves ahead of the big ICC tournament in early 2025.
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