Reports: India to name full-strength squad for West Indies T20Is, Virat Kohli to be rested

The All-India Senior Selection Committee announced the squad for the three-match ODI series against West Indies on Wednesday, 6th July. Most of the senior players have been rested for the ODI series as Shikhar Dhawan will be leading the side in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, the five-match T20I series following the ODI series will feature a full-strength Indian squad.

The Indian limited-overs side will be taking on England in a three-match T20I series commencing on July 7. Rohit Sharma, who missed the fifth and final Test against England recently due to Covid-19, will be leading the side against a belligerent English side.

The T20I series will be followed by a three-match ODI series before India visits West Indies for their white-ball leg to play three ODIs and five T20Is. The ODI team will be without the services of Rohit, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya, but all the aforementioned players are expected to return for the T20I series, apart from Kohli, who is believed to have requested a rest from the series, as per Cricbuzz.

Kohli’s form remains a concern for the Indian team but he is most likely to feature for the Men in Blue in the T20 World Cup in Australia this year.

R Ashwin’s return on cards for West Indies T20Is

The selectors could also hand a surprise call-up to Ravichandran Ashwin, who has not been part of the white-ball team for over seven months now. It was thought that he isn’t a part of the scheme of things for the Indian team in limited-overs cricket. But after the appointment of Rahul Dravid as head coach and Rohit Sharma as captain of the Indian team, the veteran spinner was told that he will be a part of their plans in the future.

Ashwin hasn’t featured for the Indian team much since the disappointing T20 World Cup campaign last year and is expected to make a return for the T20I series against West Indies as India prepares to test all possible combinations ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia in October, later this year.