Virat Kohli available for all three Tests against Sri Lanka, confirms the chief selector

The chief selector MSK Prasad has cleared the air by confirming that the skipper Virat Kohli is available for all the three Test matches against Sri Lanka. There were reports speculating that Virat had asked for a break citing personal reasons and would not play the third and final Test match of the series in Kanpur. Though he is playing cricket non-stop since June this year and would require a small before the team embarks on their tour to South Africa.

Although the Men in Blue have been winning most of the series this year, they are playing continuously from June when they travelled England for ICC Champions Trophy. The hectic home schedule is taking a toll over the players now who play all the three formats. Kohli as a skipper is bound to play every game and desperately needs some rest now ahead of the busy 2018 in which the team is scheduled to be on the road for a significant period of time.

When will Virat get rest?

In an interview to CricketNext, MSK Prasad confirmed the news of the availability of Virat for the whole Test series against the island nation. However, he also cleared that Ajinkya Rahane was named the deputy of the team only to have clarity and it had nothing to do with the skipper being rested. Prasad also said that the run-machine Kohli might be given a break for the limited overs leg against Sri Lanka.

“There is no confusion and Kohli is available for all the three Test matches against Sri Lanka. We will look at resting him after that. He too deserves rest and the rotation policy will be applicable even for the skipper. The team has been picked for the first two matches as of now and the decision was made to name Rahane the deputy. I do not see the reason to speculate whether Rahane has been named deputy because Kohli has made himself unavailable for the third Test,” he said.