India are facing West Indies in the second of a three-match ODI series in Barbados. Surprisingly, former Indian captain Virat Kohli is not playing this match. While vice-captain Hardik Pandya is leading the side, captain Rohit Sharma is also not a part of the Indian Playing XI today.
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Kohli, who is India’s designated No. 3, didn’t bat in the first ODI as well. With the Indian team experimenting with their batting order on Thursday, everybody was expecting Kohli to be back at his usual position on Saturday.
Kohli last batted in an ODI against Australia in March this year where he played a knock of 54 (72) in Chennai. He is slowly getting closer to breaking legendary Sachin Tendulkar‘s record of most ODI centuries. However, he won’t get any opportunity to close the gap at the Kensington Oval.
Virat Kohli’s stats in ODIs since 2017 🏏#TeamIndia #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/jpsR0YFGgV
— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) July 29, 2023
Why Is Virat Kohli Not Playing Today vs West Indies?
Pandya confirmed that Kohli is not facing any injury issues and has just been rested. As per Pandya, both Kohli and Rohit have been playing consistently lately. He further hinted that the duo could be back for the third ODI in Trinidad. Wicket-keeper batter Sanju Samson and all-rounder Axar Patel are playing this match in place of Sharma and Kohli.
“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 to the host broadcaster.
Even if it’s a rest, Kohli not playing an ODI with nearly a couple of months left for the World Cup is shocking to say the least. For the unversed, Kohli won’t be participating in a five-match T20I series as well.
With all said, it is a golden chance for Samson to impress the selectors. He is slated to bat at No. 3 as per the official team sheet. Samson’s last ODI was against New Zealand last year where he had scored 36 (38). On the other hand, playing two like-to-like players in Ravindra Jadeja and Patel is also an interesting call on the part of the Indian team management.
