'Guys need a mental break': Ajit Agarkar on resting players for first two India vs Australia ODIs

BCCI Chairman of Selectors Ajit Agarkar on Monday explained the reasoning behind the team management resting senior players including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for the first two ODIs against Australia, clarifying that they needed a “mental break” ahead of the ODI World Cup in October.

The team management rested Rohit, Virat, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav for the first two ODIs, but the quartet will return for the third ODI in Rajkot. KL Rahul will lead the side in Rohit’s absence. The first ODI will take place in Mohali on 22 September,  while the teams will travel to Indore for the second ODI on 24 September. The series comes to a close on 27 September.

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“Rohit and Virat have been around forever. Hardik is an important player for us. We want to manage them. Kuldeep is in great form. It also gives us a chance to look at some of the other guys. That is the thinking.

“Luckily we got a fair amount of cricket in the Asia Cup. If not, we would have looked at it some other way,” Agarkar said during the press conference in which he announced the squad on Monday.

“At some stage, the guys need a mental break, not such a bad thing leading up to the tournament. In the third game, everyone will be available to play. We will play our World Cup squad,” he added.

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been named in the squad as an extra opening batter, while Washington Sundar and Ravichandran Ashwin also find places in the squad in place of Kuldeep Yadav and the injured Axar Patel.

‘Shreyas Iyer is fit’: Agarkar

Shreyas Iyer missed the entirety of India’s Super Four campaign in the Asia Cup as well as the final against Sri Lanka due to a back spasm. Iyer, however, was included in the squad for all three ODIs against Australia.

Agarkar said the middle-order batter was fit enough to play all three matches.

“He’s not picked up a stress fracture; otherwise he wouldn’t be in the squad. He’s fine – whether he’s batting or fielding. At the moment, he’s fit; that’s why we picked him in the squad. We are hopeful that he gets through all these three games,” the 45-year-old explained.

“He’s worked incredibly hard over the last many months to be at this stage, to be fit. Fortunately for him, it wasn’t a massive injury, but he did pick up a niggle. He’ll have to get through these games, and we are hopeful that he will. At the moment, he is fine,” Agarkar added.

Iyer only returned to competitive cricket in the group stage of the Asia Cup, following a prolonged absence due to a back injury. Iyer the underwent surgery for the injury before undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru.

India will begin their World Cup campaign against Australia in Chennai on 8 October. Their marquee clash against Pakistan takes place in Ahmedabad on 14 October.