Rohit Sharma likely to be rested for part of West Indies tour

India skipper Rohit Sharma is likely to be rested for a part of the forthcoming tour of the West Indies, slated to commence from July 12. The national team will play a multi-format series which includes two Tests, marking their first series in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle, three ODIs and five T20Is against the Caribbean side.

Rohit Sharma-led team India endured a crushing defeat at the hands of Australia in the recently concluded ICC WTC 2021-23 final at The Oval in London. Facing a humiliating 209-run defeat, Rohit and the management received a lot of flak for the kind of performance displayed in the summit clash.

Notably, the skipper has faced hectic workload since shouldering the responsibilities across all formats. Moreover, he also led the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2023, playing most fixtures for the franchise prior to the WTC final.

As per latest developments, it is understood that Rohit could likely be rested for a few matches in the forthcoming tour of the West Indies. A source close to the developments said that the skipper could be rested for the Tests or the eight-match white-ball series. 

“Rohit (Sharma) looked a bit jaded during the IPL and the World Test Championship final in England. The selectors want him to rest for some part of the West Indies tour. He’s likely to miss the Tests or the eight-match white-ball series (three ODIs and five T20Is) to follow. The selectors will speak to Rohit and then take a decision,” the source told the TOI.

Notably, Rohit seemed out of form with the bat as he managed to compile scores of 15 and 43 in the match against the Aussies. In the IPL too, Rohit had a rather dismal campaign as he collected 332 runs in 16 appearances at an underwhelming average of 20.75.     

The squads for the multi-format series are yet to be picked by the selectors. However, the selection committee may soon release the official setup that will travel to the West Indies for the series in the coming weeks.