Rohit Sharma to skip entire NZ Test series, Kohli opts out of 1st game; new support staff checks in
New Delhi, Nov 11: India's newly-appointed T20 captain Rohit Sharma is set to be rested from the two-match Test series against New Zealand while Virat Kohli will miss the opening match as a "mentally and physically exhausted" Team India gets down to workload management during the home assignment.
Vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane will lead the side in the opening Test in Kanpur as Kohli extends his break after opting out of the three-match T20 series starting November 17 in Jaipur.
It is learnt from a reliable BCCI source that the squad has been finalised after a meeting of the selection committee on Thursday but a formal announcement is still awaited.
Other bigwigs who will sit out both the Tests, to be held in Kanpur and Mumbai, are wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, and the pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
Rohit will take this break after leading the team in the T20 series. The Tests are scheduled to start on November 25 in Kanpur.
Kohli will be back for the second game in Mumbai from December 3. The Indian Test and ODI captain has spoken extensively about the bubble fatigue and how it has been taking a toll on the players mentally.
In Pant's absence, Wriddhiman Saha will take over the wicket-keeping duties with KS Bharath acting as the second keeper for the series.
The 28-year-old Bharath, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, has only played in the IPL, signed up by Royal Challengers Bangalore, this year.
He was among the five standby players for the home Test series against England this year.
The rest of the squad comprises the usual suspects with Test regulars like Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara and Mayank Agarwal expectedly finding their way in.
New support staff checks in:
As was expected, Paras Mhambrey will join the team as the new bowling coach replacing Bharat Arun, whose tenure ended with India's campaign in the T20 World Cup.
Arun and head coach Ravi Shastri's stint came to a halt with the team's last group stage match against Namibia.
Mhambrey is close to new head coach Rahul Dravid and was part of the support staff during a second-string India's tour of Sri Lanka in July this year where Dravid served as head coach.
Vikram Rathour has been retained as the batting coach after he reapplied for the position, while T Dilip is the new fielding coach.
Dravid, it is learnt, wanted Abhay Sharma to be the fielding coach but the Cricket Advisory Committee has gone with Dilip, who had travelled with the Indian team during the July tour of Sri Lanka.
The 39-year-old was the fielding coach of the Hyderabad team and has also worked with the India A side in the past.
Likely squad for Test series against New Zealand:
Ajinkya Rahane (captain), K L Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, KS bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja.
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Karnataka govt ready to assist stranded students amid Iran–Israel conflict: Minister Parameshwara
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Sunday said the state government was closely monitoring the situation arising out of the ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Iran and was prepared to extend all necessary assistance to stranded people, especially students from Karnataka.
He said reports had been received that several students from different districts had travelled to the region and were unable to return due to the escalating hostilities.
“From Chikkaballapura district, around 150 people — all of them schoolchildren and college students — have gone there. We have received news that they are stranded there. We will try to reach them. Whatever help is required, the state government is ready to provide. We will get in touch with the concerned authorities,” he said.
Asked how he viewed the recurring conflicts between countries, the Home Minister said, “These are matters related to international relationships between countries. Some of these countries have been raising issues against each other’s policies. Now it has come to a stage where Iran is involved, the United States is involved, and Israel is involved. We will see whether this gets resolved or escalates.”
Expressing concern over civilian casualties, he said it is "unfortunate" that children, particularly the younger generation — about 85 people — have lost their lives.
On reports of schools being hit in the conflict, Parameshwara said this was not what people would expect from countries. "Hopefully, it gets resolved as early as possible."
Responding to a question that global conflicts appear to be expanding from Russia–Ukraine to now the US, Iran and Israel, he said, “It is not a good message. We have not seen this kind of situation after the Second World War. Now it is picking up — one country after another. It should not be escalated in the interest of humanity.”
