India captain Rohit Sharma not playing the second ODI against West Indies today has come as an utter astonishment for millions of fans back home. The development was first hinted when vice-captain Hardik Pandya participated in the warm-ups wearing his full ODI kit and not just the training kit.
Advertisement
The same was confirmed when Pandya walked out for the toss alongside West Indies captain Shai Hope. Unlike the first ODI in Bridgetown, India will be batting first after Hope won the toss and opted to bowl first.
“We are going to bowl first. We saw what happened in the last game. The conditions will assist the bowlers. We got two [more] games to play [in the series]. So, we got to win this one to stay alive,” Hope told the host broadcaster at the toss.
Why Is Rohit Sharma Not Playing Today vs West Indies?
Leading for the second time in this format, Pandya announced a couple of changes to a Playing XI which registered a comprehensive 5-wicket triumph in the first ODI at the Kensington Oval.
Readers must note that apart from Sharma, his predecessor in Virat Kohli is also not playing this match. It is worth of a mention that neither of the two senior players are injured. It’s just that they have been rested to hand opportunities to batter Sanju Samson and all-rounder Axar Patel.
“Rohit [Sharma] and Virat [Kohli] have been playing constant cricket. Few questions need to be answered for us. So, they are resting in this game. They can be fresh for the third ODI,” Pandya said at the toss.
Samson, whose absence in the first ODI was questioned by his fans across social media platforms, is playing an ODI after more than eight months. Patel, meanwhile, had played in both the home Test and ODI series against Australia in March.
Hardik Pandya Captaincy Record
Pandya, who first led India in an ODI earlier this year, had started with a 5-wicket win. As far as the shortest format is concerned, he has led India to eight victories and a couple of losses across 11 T20Is.
