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Dhoni rested, Kohli to lead
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Tuesday rested for the first three One-day Internationals against Sri Lanka next month and batting mainstay Virat Kohli will lead the side in his absence.
Hyderabad: Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Tuesday rested for the first three One-day Internationals against Sri Lanka next month and batting mainstay Virat Kohli will lead the side in his absence.
Wriddhiman Saha has been named wicketkeeper. Varun Aaron and R Ashwin are back in the side. Frontline pace bowler Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has also been rested.
Kohli, who has been touted as a future India skipper, had last led in Zimbabwe, leading the world champions to emphatic victories. Dhoni, who has been under pressure of a hectic schedule, was rested probably keeping in mind the upcoming tour of Australia and the World Cup that follows immediately.
Dhoni, one of the busiest cricketers in the world, was last rested when India toured Bangladesh for a short ODI series earlier in the year. The team was then led by Suresh Raina as Kohli had also been given a break.
Also back in the team is tear away pace bowler Varun Aaron. The World Cup is expected to be played on fast, bouncy pitches and Aaron's pace will be crucial to India's campaign Down Under. Star off-spinner Ashwin, who was part of the Indian team in England, is also part of the 15-man squad. He was rested for the series against West Indies where the selectors decided to try Kuleep Yadav, the young left-arm chinaman spinner.
Ashwin is one of four spinners in the side. The others are Amit Mishra, Akshar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. The pace department is expected to be led by Mohammed Shami in Kumar's absence. Aaron and Ishant Sharma, who came in as replacement for Mohit Sharma against the West Indies and retained his place for the Sri Lanka series, will also possibly play major roles.
There are no surprises in the batting department. Rohit Sharma, who is still recovering from multiple injuries, has not yet made a comeback.
Sri Lanka will play a five-match ODI series from November 2 to 16 after West Indies abandoned their tour of India over pay disputes with their board. Cuttack, Hyderabad, Ranchi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad have been named as the five venues for the matches.
Squad: Virat Kohli (Capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Murali Vijay, Varun Aaron, Axar Patel.
The All India Senior Selection Committee also announced the India A squad for the one-day practice match against Sri Lanka, to be played at the CCI gorund in Mumbai on October 30.
Squad: Manoj Tiwary (Capt), Unmukt Chand, Manan Vohra, Karun Nair, Rohit Sharma, Kedar Jadhav, Sanju Samson, Parvez Rasool, Karn Sharma, Stuart Binny, Dhaval Kulkarni, Jaspreet Bumrah, Manish Pandey, Kuldeep Yadav.
