Reports: India likely to rest host of first-choice players for New Zealand Tests

India are likely to rest a host of first-choice players from the upcoming two-Test home series against New Zealand that gets underway from November 25. The team is also set to travel to South Africa for a full-fledged series in December-January, which is understood to be the reason behind selectors considering to give India’s all-format players some much-needed respite.

While the squad for the three T20Is preceding the Test series has been announced, the squad for the latter is likely to be announced in the next couple of days. A similar approach has been adopted by the national selectors in choosing the T20I squad too, which does not include various first-choice players, namely Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, amongst others.

Rishabh Pant, who has been named for the T20Is, is likely to be rested both Tests, with Wriddhiman Saha being the frontrunner to take the gloves. India skipper Kohli is also likely to miss the first Test in Kanpur. Meanwhile, Rohit has been named to lead in the T20I series as Kohli announced he will no longer be the captain in the shortest format upon the conclusion of the T20 World Cup.

Though Kohli is set to continue with his role in the longest format, if he chooses to miss the Kanpur Test, the selectors will have an additional task of naming a stand-in captain. A Times of India reports claims that the Indian selectors are “torn between Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane as the stand-in Test captain.”

Further, it is learned that the BCCI has offered a two-day break to all the players before they assemble for the T20I series.

“The players who have been in UAE for the T20 World Cup and the ones who were playing the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament have all been allowed to go home to be with their families. The players are getting a break of two or three days depending on when they exit the existing bubble. There will be three-day quarantine. The move also comes with the tour of South Africa in mind. Some players, once in the Jaipur bubble, may have to stay in it for another three months,” the TOI reports claims.